SAINT PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has verified that all evidentiary breath tests previously questioned due to operator data entry errors remain accurate.
The issue stemmed from incorrect alcohol concentration values entered by some law enforcement operators when replacing dry gas cylinders used in the state’s DataMaster (DMT) breath-testing instruments. The mistakes raised concerns about the validity of several hundred DWI cases statewide.
Following an internal review, BCA laboratory scientists recalculated each affected test using the correct cylinder values and confirmed that all control and breath tests fell within established accuracy margins. Notifications of the verified results are being sent to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors handling affected cases.
To prevent future errors, the BCA has stopped law enforcement personnel from replacing dry gas cylinders. Only BCA staff will perform replacements going forward. The agency is also securing cylinder compartments on all DMT instruments and updating operator training materials to reflect the new procedures.
More than half of the state’s DMT instruments have already been verified and secured, with the process expected to be completed within weeks. Future updates will be posted on the BCA website.
