For almost two decades Grand Rapids area drivers arrested for drunk driving have had their breath tested by an instrument called the DataMaster. This is all about to change as Grand Rapids area DUI law enforcement will begin using the DataMaster DMT.
Almost all of the approximately 250 DataMasters in service in Michigan were placed into service in either 1993 or 1995. This includes the DataMasters in the greater Grand Rapids areas. These DataMasters were all manufactured by National Patent Analytic Services (NPAS), located in Mansfield Ohio.
A new DataMaster had been developed by NPAS, and is about to go into service for DUI enforcement in the greater Grand Rapids area. It is called the DataMaster Transportable (DMT) and it contains a lot of new features and updates.
Michigan DUI Lawyer Patrick T. Barone recently lectured on this topic to the Criminal Advocacy Program for Wayne County, and some of the information in this article is taken from his lecture.
DataMaster DMT
As can be seen in this photographs, the new DMT is smaller than the current model. This is due in part to the shorter optical path. It also has a large windows type display screen using a window’s based user interface. This increases the functionality of the device.
The DMT also has increased computing power and uses a 32 bit, 520 MHz processor. The full color graphics touch screen and the sampling system allow the display of a subject’s breath flow and alcohol absorption curve in real time. Michigan has elected not to incorporate this feature.
This is unfortunate because the blow pattern would allow an operator to determine a driver’s level of cooperation during the breath test. Obtaining the graphic print-out from this function would might benefit the defense in some types refusal cases.
Another difference is that the new DMT uses an external printer. There is also a serial (RS-232) port to allow communication with digital simulators. As with the current DataMaster, NPAS will use single point factory calibration and it appears that Michigan will adopt a dry-gas simulator rather than the wet bath currently used.
Another big change with the new DataMaster DMT is that it appears that in Michigan there will be simulators between breath tests rather than just once per week as is currently the case. This means that a driver’s evidence ticket containing his or her test results will also contain the results of a simulator test run at the same time
The new Michigan DataMaster DMT will use two optical filters at 3.44 and 3.37 microns. This two-filter system ostensibly only allows a limited frequency range of infrared energy. The idea here is that it increases the unit’s overall specificity to ethanol.
Although the new DMT is undoubtedly an improvement over the old DataMaster, it won’t change the face of DUI defense in the greater Grand Rapids area all that much, and the DMT has not eliminated any of the defenses previously available to anyone charged with drunk driving.
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