Law enforcement agencies across Ohio will get new breathalyzer machines this year.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety is using $6.4 million of federal money to streamline the process of testing intoxicated people.

"This helps bring about an opportunity to save some paperwork hours for officers and best maximize their time to give them more of an opportunity to work out in the field and take more impaired drivers off of Ohio's roadways, " said Tom Hunter, Communications Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety.

Washington county is one the departments getting the Intoxilyzer 8000.

The County's current breathalyzer is 15 years old.

"With many of the machines we're using in the state of Ohio, there's a manual calibration process that has to be done every week and that would alleviate the man hours," said Tom Hunter, Communications Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety.

The Intoxilyzer 8000 is used in 10 ten states. Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have sued the company that makes the machines, CMI Incorporated, because they question the machine's accuracy.

"We feel like from a legal standpoint, our concerns have been addressed and met concerning the reliability of the instrument based on information we've received from other states using it and the manufacturer as well," said Hunter.

Hunter says legal action against CMI is not about the breathalyzers accuracy. He says the company does not want to give up proprietary information without a confidentiality agreement.

Whether Ohio runs into any accuracy issues with the Intoxilyzer 8000 will be seen this year.
Officials are hoping to have all breathalyzers replaced by the end of the year.