The police department in Texarkana, Arkansas recently purchased a mobile blood-alcohol testing vehicle to assist in its campaign against drunk driving.
Called the BATmobile, the $130,000 unit was purchased with funds from the Arkansas State Police Highway Safety Office. It will be used at sobriety checkpoints and in areas where DWI arrests commonly occur. It provides police with on-site testing to determine if a driver stopped for suspicion of DWI is over the .08 legal limit for blood alcohol
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The special vehicle is the first and only one in the state. Police spokesman Chris Rankin said it is "a jail on wheels. We can do everything in it but book suspects."
The BATmobile will be actively used during the upcoming Labor Day holiday, when the Arkansas State Police joins over 100 other law enforcement agencies like the Texarkana police department to crackdown on impaired drivers. That activity is part of the nationwide "Drunk Driving: Over the Limit. Under Arrest." campaign recently unveiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
May 26, 2012
