Law enforcement authorities have finally (!) begun using Minnesota’s new breath test machine, the DataMaster DMT, in St. Paul, Ramsey County. The state purchased of the DataMaster in 2010 and deployed the first DataMaster in southeastern Minnesota last summer. The DataMaster replaces the Intoxilyzer 5000, the controversial breath test analyzer that has been in use nearly 30 years.
This test record is one of the first produced by one of the DataMasters in St. Paul.
Last fall Dan Koewler and I traveled to Mansfield, Ohio to tour the manufacturer’s plant, took classes and became certified DMT operators by National Patent Analytical Systems.
While there are many similarities to the Intoxilyzer 5000EN, key differences exist. Both machines use infrared technology to analyze the amount of alcohol in a breath sample, but the DataMaster DMT also utilizes a fuel cell to provide a separate means of analysis. In addition, Minnesota is no longer using a “wet bath| simulator, but has switched to a dry gas simulator.
As we continue to analyze Minnesota’s new breath testing system, we will post the flaws in the breath test program and defenses to this new machine’s test result.
