A multiyear review of testing equipment in San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office laboratories revealed tools used to determine blood alcohol level produced results higher than state averages, a discrepancy that has since been corrected, according to a press release.
During the review, completed last October, the California Department of Public Health found test results from the local agency to be higher than other participating departments by between 0.002% to 0.006%. The duration of the discrepancy spanned from Sept. 1, 2021 to Nov. 2, wrote Laboratory Director Samantha Dal Porto.
Between 100 to 250 samples were tested in the lab during that time. Dal Porto said Sheriff’s Office staff have reviewed cases that have been adjudicated in court and have yet to find a sample that was within the legal blood alcohol content limit of 0.08% and would have been affected by the discrepancy.
The review, done as part of a “robust quality assurance program,” is conducted multiple times a year and involves the department testing samples prepared by independent, third-party agencies. The results help laboratories determine whether their equipment and testing procedures are consistent with others in the state, Dal Porto said.
“These blood alcohol test results are often used as evidence in legal proceedings such as DUI cases,” wrote Dal Porto. “The laboratory has notified the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office and will continue to work with them to evaluate the impact, if any, on any affected criminal cases.”
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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