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February 23, 2004TRAVERSE CITY: Dual-purpose flashlights may cut teen drinkingDevices light up in presence of alcoholByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Two $800 "flashlights" that can detect alcohol will help police nab underage drinkers at parties, school dances and sporting events. The devices, called "passive alcohol sensors," look like an ordinary police flashlight and can also be used as one. A sensor on the side lights up when it senses alcohol in the air exhaled by someone who has been drinking. The sensors will be another tool to investigate parties where police suspect minors are drinking, said Sgt. Brian Heffner of the Traverse City Police Department. They also could be used in routine police work to help officers establish probable cause for a preliminary breath test. Heffner demonstrated the device at a press conference by holding the flashlight next to a closed container of liquor. The sensor lit up when the bottle was opened and the liquor poured into a glass with cranberry juice. "Our objective is to contain the party, process it as quickly as possible and get the youths home to their parents," Heffner said. The flashlights were provided through a Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning grant. The sensors will be used by Traverse City police, Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department and Michigan State Police. Officers will carry the devices on regular patrol when they are not being used specifically for underage drinking enforcement, Heffner said. The flashlights will not replace standard preliminary breath test devices, which require a suspect to blow into a tube. Prosecutor Dennis LaBelle said how police use the sensors will determine whether any legal challenges arise. Several criminal defense attorneys contacted by the Record-Eagle said they were not familiar with the device.
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