The Port Moody Police Department has launched a further investigation into potentially flawed approved screening devices, or roadside breathalyzers.
In a press release from the Port Moody police last week, the department and the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) have received a final investigative report for the matter.
“At this time the Port Moody Police Disciplinary Authority, in accordance with the regulation of the B.C. Police Act, has requested further investigation be conducted,” the release noted.
However, the lawyer who brought the original allegations forward is calling for the release of the report.
Vancouver lawyer Paul Doroshenko said there are people still in a legal limbo waiting for the results of the investigation.
He contends there are a lot of potential drivers who received an immediate roadside prohibition (IRP) and couldn’t afford the interlocking device, who never got their licence back.
“I want them [Port Moody Police Department] to come out and admit it,” Doroshenko said, suggesting the officer in charge of calibrating the machine, did so incorrectly.
He said the department should have announced the problems with devices immediately and allowed for drivers to have a hearing on their IRP.
Doroshenko estimated he’s dealt with about a dozen cases from Port Moody in his own office, but added the issues with screening devices is province-wide and not just specific to the local police force.
He argued the roadside devices were meant to determine if a driver should be taken back to a police detachment to blow into a machine that can calibrate itself.