Breath Alcohol

The Breath Alcohol Section is responsible for training and licensing breath test operators, responding to requests for records, providing testimony in courts of law, and maintaining/certifying the Intox EC/IR II evidential breath test equipment used in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The chief objective of the Department’s Breath Alcohol Section is to ensure that statewide quality assurance and operational standards are followed by the Commonwealth’s law enforcement agencies when administering breath tests. To accomplish this objective, the Department of Forensic Science provides training, equipment, supplies, and laboratory support to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia. In addition to training and licensing breath alcohol instrument operators, the Department certifies each evidential breath test instrument for accuracy at least every six months.