Saskatoon police unveil mobile testing unit

Roadside check stops in Saskatoon are in for a major update thanks to a new mobile testing unit unveiled Thursday.

The new mobile drug and alcohol testing unit is designed and equipped to provide officers with everything they need on the side of the road to safely apprehend drivers without tying up any additional resources.

“We’re going to cut processing time in half is what we’re anticipating,” Staff Sgt. Patrick Barbar said after showing off the latest tool in the fight against impaired driving.

“Before this vehicle, the only place that we could do a test with this particular instrument was here at the police station.”

The new vehicle is outfitted with two breathalyzer-type devices — the Draeger 5000 and the Intoximeter ECIR II — meant to catch any traces of alcohol, marijuana or cocaine in a person’s system that could impair their ability to safely drive.

Saskatoon police Staff Sgt. Patrick Barbar unveils the new mobile drug and alcohol testing unit on Sept. 10, 2020. (Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)

Prior to the mobile testing unit, any person suspected of impaired driving was taken back to headquarters for more testing and paperwork before being released to a safe driver. Now all of that can be done right at the side of the road.

“If we can keep the officers there, keep the officers working rather than having them transporting people back and forth to the office, that makes sense to us,” Chief Troy Cooper said.

The large van comes with a $100,000 price tag. Half of it was paid for using funds from the provincial government through the Criminal Property Forfeiture fund. Saskatchewan Government Insurance and the police force covered the remaining costs.

On average, Cooper said roughly two roadside check stops are conducted each month. Those result in 50 driving infractions a year ranging anywhere from impairment to driving with a suspended or expired licence.

Similar testing units are used in major Canadian cities like Calgary and Vancouver.

A look inside the new mobile drug testing unit. (Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)

The temperature sensitivity of the Draeger 5000, the device used to detect drugs in a person’s saliva, was also a concern for officers previously. With the new testing van, the device will never have to be exposed to Canadian winters.

“Once the test is completed, really all that’s left is to complete the paperwork to ensure (the driver’s) appearance in court, and then to find a safe way for them to get home,” Barbar said of the new simplified process of roadside testing.