Why Was Faulty and Expired Equipment Used for DUI Stops in North Dakota?
Over the course of two years, there were 34 DUI tests given with faulty or expired equipment in North Dakota.
According to KX News, out of 8,900 DUI tests administered in the past two years, 34 of those DUIs were done with faulty or expired equipment. That does equate to 99.62% of the tests being done with up-to-date equipment, so nearly 100% of the tests are supposedly accurate. But it is a little alarming that 34 people's futures were determined by DUI equipment that may or may not have been working properly.
Using bad equipment is not a "technicality." It is a huge deal.
The newscast I heard about the faulty DUI test situation began with the statement, "There are many instances when suspected drunk drivers get off on a technicality..." While that may be true for some situations, insinuating that a situation like this is "getting off on a technicality" is just asinine. A "technicality" is a small detail. It is no small detail to be giving out expired and faulty tests. That is irresponsible and probably should be criminal, honestly.
Could there be issues found with any of the other 8,900 DUI tests administered in that time period?
How does this happen to even just 34 people? What if some of those people were not drinking and driving? Which departments were administering bad tests? Was it just a few departments? What other shady things are happening when administering DUI tests?
There is a chance that at least some of the 34 people were not drinking and driving.
I am not saying that the 34 people were necessarily victims, but they could be. What if people got pulled over and charged simply because they made an error? Even though DUI laws in North Dakota are a joke, a charge like this is a serious one and can be earth-shattering. A DUI costs a lot of money and it could cost people other things like their entire livelihoods.
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