Several outspoken defense attorneys are calling for an independent investigation related to the halted use of over 200 breathalyzer machines.
People are wondering whether their drunk driving cases might be affected by posts this week about the Michigan State Police.
The agency said it has stopped the use of over 200 breathalyzer machines, and it’s accusing the contractor involved of possible fraud. MSP has opened its own criminal investigation into Intoximeters Inc., which calibrates the state’s DataMaster breathalyzer machines.
It could have “performance-related issues” that might point to wider issues with the way the devices were serviced.
The issue may go all the way back to the beginning of the Michigan State Police’s $1.3 million dollar yearly contract with Intoximeters, which was signed in late 2018.
Several defense attorneys say the Michigan State Police should not be in charge of any investigation into the matter, and are accusing them of a conflict of interest as they investigate one of their own contractors.
The attorneys are calling for an independent investigation into the matter.
Farmington Hills-based defense attorney Michael Komorn of Komorn Law specializes in DUI and cannabis cases. He says an independent investigation would also help with the question of what happens to the countless DUI cases that might be affected by this.
“If we have a full investigation by an independent body, maybe they would make a recommendation,” says Komorn. “That is a better way of going about it where an independent body identifies those who have been harmed, if people have been harmed, and they put forth a remedy of some kind, some redress for people versus some finding that’s in question.”
