Shannon Litz/Nevada Appeal
DAYTON - The donation Wednesday of eight portable alcohol testing machines to the Dayton Substation of Lyon County Sheriff's Office makes it possible for every officer on shift to carry one, said Lt. Rob Hall.
Presented by Laurel Stadler, rural coordinator for the Northern Nevada DUI Task Force, the new breathalyzers came about from a request by the department after budget constraints made it impossible to replace broken machines.
"We've been very low on (breathalyzers) for two or three years, so this is a huge donation," said Hall.
He said the Dayton substation received new breathalyzers several years ago, but, "just like everything else, they got worn out."
Deputies either had to wait until they got a suspect to the jail to test them, or hope that another deputy on shift had one, he said.
"This was just one part of the field sobriety test we couldn't complete in the field," he said.
With Wednesday's donation, the Dayton substation now has 11 breathalyzers.
"I think it's imperative that law enforcement has this equipment because they are our first defense with DUIs," said Stadler.
She said the money to purchase the devices came from private donations and money paid by a convicted DUI offender to attend a mandatory Victim Impact Panel.