The Saskatoon Police Service is bringing alcohol and drug testing to the streets.
Staff Sgt. Patrick Barbar says a new Mobile Alcohol and Drug Testing van means being able to conduct on-the-spot testing for suspected impaired drivers.
He explains that the official breathalyzer is a large piece of equipment that isn’t really portable, but it can fit in the van.
Previously, suspected impaired drivers would have to be taken to headquarters, processed and then tested.
The van also has a drug screening device that can detect THC and cocaine.
Barbar says there was never a concern for the drug testing device in the cold, unlike what some people thought, because drivers would be tested in the warmth of a vehicle so that’s not the reason the van was needed.
But now, both tests can be done with this van at check stops.
It’s a $100-thousand vehicle and Barbar says 75 per cent of the cost comes from SGI and the Civil Forfeiture Program through the Ministry of Corrections and Policing.