Government

COVID-19 drives demand for automatic breathalayzer kiosks

August 12, 2020

Five counties have deployed the AB Kiosk, a system that autonomously coordinates and conducts alcohol screening, according to a press release. The kiosks have conducted more than 125,000 breathalyzer tests in the Midwest, with 99.9% of these showing no presence of alcohol, according to the press release.

Traditionally, a sheriff deputy conducts portable breath tests using hand-held devices in the secure areas of a jail or courthouse. Clients typically call in to determine when their next screening will occur and then make their way to the test site. There, they wait for a deputy to escort them through security and administer the test. If the test is negative (no alcohol), the client is free to go. If alcohol is detected, the client is taken into custody.

In January 2018, Precision Kiosk Technologies introduced the AB Kiosk — a secure, integrated system that autonomously coordinates and conducts alcohol screening from start to finish. It requires no human interaction, which is reducing face-to-face interactions amid COVID-19 concerns, according to the release..

Spurred on by concerns over transmission of the coronavirus, five counties began using the AB Kiosk systems in June and July: Shelby County Community Corrections in Indiana, the Ann Arbor Justice Center and Washtenaw Sheriff's Office in Michigan, and the McLeod County Sheriff's Office and Hutchinson Police Services in Minnesota. There are now 25 AB Kiosks in use in the Midwest, predominantly by county courts, probation departments and sheriff's offices.

The kiosk issues notifications to the client to report for a test, uses biometric fingerprint authentication to verify the identity of the individual, captures video as it administers the breathalyzer test, and automatically uploads the test results to the client's file.

Operating without any direct supervision, the kiosk can test up to 35 individuals per hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Deputies can access their offender-management program from any computer, smartphone or tablet.

Photo courtesy of AB Kiosk.