Ventura County Sheriff's Department

The needs of law enforcement for DUI enforcement have changed due to the increased emphasis on using the Portable Evidential Breath Testing (PEBT) device for field sobriety and evidential testing at the location of the arrest. The demand for PEBT devices countywide continues to grow as evidenced by the yearly increase in the number of breath tests collected in the County. With the assistance and guidance of the California Office of Traffic Safety, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Forensic Services Bureau created one of the state and the nation’s premier roadside evidential breath testing programs.

Building on the successes achieved in recent years, the Sheriff’s Department Forensic Sciences Laboratory will be bringing more evidential roadside breath testing instrumentation to the County. New equipment purchases and a web-based data management system will be provided throughout the county as a result of a recent $790,000 grant.

“The California Office of Traffic Safety has given Ventura County the opportunity to remain the international benchmark for breath-testing and continue to provide state of the art Forensic Services to our County and the citizens we serve” remarks Forensic Services Bureau Manager Renee Artman.

Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Updated instrumentation will increase the number of available instruments and continue to aid all county law enforcement agencies in their community efforts to deal with traffic safety problems and reduce the number of persons killed and injured in traffic collisions attributed to impaired drivers.

“Catching drunk drivers is essential to keeping Ventura County streets safe,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “This equipment helps ensure that offenders are successfully prosecuted.”

The grant activities will specifically target the timely release of breath testing information and documentation through user-friendly electronic means. This grant also funds a Forensic Scientist position and supports the training of current laboratory staff and overtime to support the new program and its implementation.