Royston Police Receive Breathalizer Grant

Detecting when someone has been driving under the influence will be a little easier for Royston Police thanks to a grant from the federal government.

At the June City Council meeting Tuesday, Royston Police Chief Donnie Boleman announced his department has been awarded  a Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $8,543 from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Boleman said the money will go towards the purchase of a new breathalyzer.

“We applied for the grant earlier this year. This will allow us to replace our Intoxilizer 5000,” he said.

Boleman said this new intoxilizer is state of the art and much needed because the current equipment is obsolete.  The department will be purchasing an Intoxilizer 9000, which replaces the current Intoxilizer 5000.

“The new one is actually a faster system and more reliable,” Boleman said. “They no longer make replacement parts for the old system, so with the new breathalizer we will be able to make any necessary repairs.”

The new breathalyzer will be used in-house at the police station to test possible DUI offenders.

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, councilman Lee Strickland made a motion to accept the grant award; councilman Larry Bowen seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Boleman said he plans to have the new digital breathalyzer and in use by August.