Contact: Sgt. Joy Matthews - 616.632.6106
Email: joy.matthews@kentcountymi.gov
Supervisor Approval: Undersheriff Chuck Dewitt
Incident Type: Datamaster Instruments

On 01/13/2020, the Michigan State Police recommended to all police agencies the need to utilize blood draws in lieu of breath tests due to an on-going fraud investigation involving their contracted vendor who is responsible for conducting service on their Datamaster instruments. After this communication, the Grand Rapids Police Department contacted the Kent County Sheriff’s Office to discuss steps moving forward. It was decided that the two Datamaster instruments in the Kent County Correctional Facility, that can be used by any law enforcement agency, would be immediately taken out of service. This information was shared with our law enforcement partners. Additionally, we directed our staff that blood draws were required for all drunk driving investigations.

On 01/14/2020, certified MSP personnel inspected and verified that the instruments at the Kent County Correctional Facility were properly calibrated. After the inspection, our law enforcement partners were notified and Datamaster instruments were placed back into service.