Irving, Texas—After three-years in the New Jersey legal system and hearing testimony from experts who reviewed the device’s source code, Appellate Division Judge and Special Master Michael Patrick King, appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court, confirmed the scientific reliability of Draeger Safety Diagnostics’ Alcotest 7110 MK III-C (“Alcotest”) in a report issued to the New Jersey Supreme Court yesterday.
“We conclude that the Alcotest – the subject of scrutiny in this proceeding – is scientifically reliable as an evidentiary breath testing instrument, as to both the hardware and software elements,” reported Judge King.
Draeger Safety Diagnostics, Inc., a Draegerwerk AG company, has always maintained that the Alcotest is a reliable scientific device that consistently produces accurate and precise results. Before this latest report, the Alcotest had already surpassed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s model specifications for evidential breath testers and exceeded the requirements of various individual jurisdictions. Indeed, the Alcotest has been used worldwide for years, performing hundreds of thousands of breath tests, all monitored and supervised by local forensic laboratories.
Despite efforts to challenge the reliability of the Alcotest model in question in New Jersey, Special Master King’s rigorous and careful review confirmed that the product meets the state’s requirements for accurate breath testing.
“The Alcotest is carefully designed to perform an important function for law enforcement in its efforts to protect the public, while still respecting the rights of the accused to scientifically accurate and precise measurements of breath alcohol,” said Hansueli Ryser, vice president, Draeger Safety Diagnostics, Inc. “Draeger takes the responsibility inherent in designing such a vital tool seriously.”
As part of Special Master King’s review, the software employed by the Alcotest was scrutinized – and validated – by independent third-party expert SysTest Labs, Inc. of Denver, Colorado. The results of this software review will give other law enforcement agencies the confidence they need to deploy the Alcotest, providing law enforcement organizations access to the robust and consistently accurate device they need.
“Judge King’s positive report deals effectively with extremely complex and technical subject matter,” added Ryser. “Its ratification of the Alcotest’s effectiveness in New Jersey DUI enforcement confirms what the state government already knew – the Alcotest does the job required of it, and does it well and consistently.” The matter now goes back to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which will take action based on Judge King’s latest report.
The Alcotest 7110 MK III-C represents the most advanced evidential breath alcohol testing technology available. Employing two different and independent measuring systems – infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical cell technology – the device provides the highest level of forensic and legal integrity. It is the only evidential breath tester on the market whose source code has been reviewed by independent third parties and approved by a judge after an evidential hearing.