Chilton County Sheriff’s Office gets new breath testers from USDSA

CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - The Chilton County Sheriff’s Office just received new equipment to help combat drunk driving and underage drinking.

The United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association awarded the department with two new preliminary breath tests, or PBT’s.

Chilton County Sheriff John Shearon says the USDSA awards equipment, free of charge, to under-funded departments and Chilton County was one of them.

“We are very thankful for that because some of these things can be anywhere from $500 to $1,000,” Shearon said.

The PBT’s are crucial when dealing with drunk drivers, adult or underage.

“It’s all the same, it’s the same tool,” Shearon said. “The only difference in adults and juveniles is the age and the number factor, Its .08 for adults and .02 for anyone under the age of 21.”

The two PBT’s will add to the ones the department already has, allowing more deputies to access them.

“Some had to share the PBT’s, this way we are able to get it out into more hands and make sure everyone’s got one,” Shearon said.

As of right now, Chilton County deputies say they are not seeing an increase in underage drinking, but they said these additional breath testers are needed.

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