The MSP will conduct a thorough and complete investigation and if we find criminal acts occurred, we will pursue criminal charges against those responsible. We will also pursue any remediation available to the department, including possible legal action, in order to recoup costs bore by the state.
At this early stage in the investigation, the MSP does not know how many certification records were falsified or how long these deceptive practices were occurring. The MSP sent a letter to Intoximeters in August of 2019 outlining grounds for breach of contract and requesting a corrective action plan. That same month, Intoximeters responded with a corrective action plan. When issues rose again shortly after that, the MSP again contacted Intoximeters and we have been working with them to remedy the issues.
Based on what we know today, we believe these performance issues impact at least two employees of their three contract employees, both of which were hired in 2018.
The MSP is still in the process of reviewing vendor records and will be for some time, but possible discrepancies have been identified to-date involving Datamaster instruments at the following locations:
• Alpena County Sheriff’s Department
• Beverly Hills Police Department
• Detroit Detention Center
• Montcalm County Sheriff’s Department
• Niles Police Department
• Pittsfield Township Police Department
• Tecumseh Police Department
• Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department
County prosecutors for each of these areas have been notified of the issue and will determine any potential impact on drunk driving cases. When a discrepancy arises, it can be efficiently remedied through proper testing and inspection done by certified personnel.
The MSP has been working since mid-2018 to strengthen the state’s breath alcohol testing program by hiring a technical leader in the MSP Forensic Science Division to provide oversight, and it was through this work that these discrepancies were identified.