Yankton and Lawrence Counties are now part of an automated breathalyzer system for their 24/7 Sobriety Programs. People on parole after a drunk driving charge can use a kiosk for their required sobriety check.
The kiosks in the sheriff’s department let someone on parole take a self-serve sobriety test. That means deputies and jailers don’t need to use hand-held breathalyzer equipment.
Patrick McKinney is the general manager of Precision Kiosk Technologies. It’s the company responsible for the automated test. He says the new system keeps people safe.
“In this particular time where we're worried about COVID propagation and we want to mitigate people's potential exposure and be very wary of their health. You know, you hold up the personal breathalyzer test, and the person blows in that device.”
McKinney says the personalized test means law enforcement personnel don’t have someone breathing on them. It also gives them time for other duties.
“They’re not taking a test and recording data. They're managing their people through this process, and they can interact with the people in a way that's more positive and beneficial.”
McKinney says they’ve gotten feedback from people taking the test who like its convenience.
“I can park, I can come in, I can take my test. I can leave and I'm done.”
Yankton and Lawrence counties are the latest to enroll in the program. Breathalyzer kiosks can test up to 40 people per hour, and law enforcement can access the data from any computer or smartphone. South Dakota reports more than 50,000 tests since the system was adopted a few months ago.