Thread by @davidenrich

New: More than a million Americans a year get breath-tested for alcohol. Many are sent to jail based on results.

But the @nytimes found the tests are often unreliable and lead to wrongful convictions. @StacyCowley @jbsgreenberg @Nataliekitro @randypennell nytimes.com/2019/11/03/bus…

@nytimes @StacyCowley @jbsgreenberg @Nataliekitro @randypennell We found *major* problems with breath-testing devices.

Their software has bugs. They are poorly maintained by police. They aren’t set up properly. Crime labs screw up results. States have skimped on safeguards.

With alarming frequency, the machines just don't work.

@nytimes @StacyCowley @jbsgreenberg @Nataliekitro @randypennell A few examples we found:
• A family of rats was nesting inside one machine
• An untrained police intern was calibrating machines
• A lab technician was ordered to destroy test results
• A machine started smoking – and then was put into service

@nytimes @StacyCowley @jbsgreenberg @Nataliekitro @randypennell The machines are in basically every police station in America. Their manufacturers have gone to *extraordinary lengths* to mute critics who question their reliability.

We obtained a report that one company, @DraegerNews, tried to bury.

@nytimes @StacyCowley @jbsgreenberg @Nataliekitro @randypennell @DraegerNews The results can be catastrophic.

In DC, years of tests were giving results that were up to 40% too high — leading to wrongful convictions and jail sentences.

More and more judges have deemed the unreliable tests inadmissible in court — and the consequences are ugly.

@nytimes @StacyCowley @jbsgreenberg @Nataliekitro @randypennell @DraegerNews This is a long story, but it’s worth your time — especially if you know someone who has been harmed by a drunk driver or convicted for drunken driving. It is really scary.

A version of this story will be airing tonight on @TheWeekly. Tune in. nytimes.com/2019/11/01/the…