ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is requiring local law enforcement agencies across Minnesota immediately review and verify dry gas cylinder data has been entered correctly into DataMaster (DMT) instruments currently being used. This requirement follows the discovery of multiple data entry errors by trained operators during the installation of gas cylinders in the instrument. As part of this review, BCA procedures for maintaining DMT instruments will also be updated to prevent future errors.

Out of an abundance of caution, the BCA has ordered the suspension of all DMT usage until agencies verify the gas cylinder data is correctly entered into each instrument. Recognizing the potential of human error with the existing exchange process, all gas cylinder replacements and maintenance moving forward will be conducted solely by BCA personnel, effective immediately.

“The BCA is committed to the highest level of quality in our forensics lab, and this is why we are conducting this review,” said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans. “We appreciate our law enforcement partners’ prompt attention to this inspection process.”

Select Minnesota law enforcement personnel are trained to administer breath tests and maintain the DMT instrument as part of impaired driving enforcement. Each DMT instrument holds a uniquely numbered dry gas cylinder with a known alcohol concentration, which serves as a control during every test to ensure the instrument is measuring alcohol accurately. When the instrument is first set up, authorized law enforcement operators enter information from the cylinder into the system. That information remains in use for all subsequent tests until the cylinder is replaced, at which point new cylinder information must be entered. It was recently discovered that, in some cases, incorrect cylinder information had been entered into the instrument, resulting in test data being called into question.

The BCA became aware on Friday of two more instruments with data entry errors related to gas cylinder installation.  These instruments are in Olmsted County, where the error may affect 108 cases, and Hennepin County, where the error may affect 38 cases. This follows the discovery of errors in Aitkin, Winona and Chippewa counties. Agencies that house the instruments are not necessarily responsible for the error as multiple law enforcement agencies use each instrument.

The BCA is dedicated to partnering with Minnesota law enforcement agencies to keep Minnesota roads safe from impaired drivers. As part of that effort, the BCA will continue providing the training and information necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of all breath testing in Minnesota.