Law enforcement officers in the area have a new tool in their arsenal to combat drunk drivers — a BAT mobile.

The Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) Mobile vehicle is part of an aggressive campaign to get drunk drivers off roads and highways in Indian Country.

Four $375,000 BAT Mobiles will be in use in four Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement districts, including one in District 2, located in Muskogee.

District 2 is comprised of 43 Indian tribes with an estimated Native American population of 241,000 and includes one of the largest tribes in the country — the Cherokee Nation.

Two units will be in the Billings, Mont., area, and another will be in Albuquerque.

The vehicle will accommodate four people in two separate holding cells. It can secure a fifth person. The holding cells are in a secure room in the back of the unit. Leg chains will be in use, along with cameras to monitor what is going on. Infrared cameras are on board.

From inside the unit, large-screen monitors show the area outside with pictures of at least nine different views on inside screens.

On top of the unit are two floodlights on a huge metal pole — much like those used at a football game.

The breath alcohol testing can be done on site, as well as field sobriety testing, said Jerry Keener, assistant special agent in charge of Office of Justice Services, District 2 at Muskogee.

Law enforcement officers that partner with the tribes will have access to the new unit and participate with the BIA and tribal police, and the first operation isn’t far away.

“We’re shooting for New Year’s Eve — it’s going to be quick and dirty,” Keener said, smiling.

Intoxilyzer certified lawmen will be on board the unit when it rolls. Units are designed for easy cleaning and can be hosed down without flooding anything, said Patricia Tucker of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s Region 6 in Fort Worth.

The state-of-the art unit allows chains to be applied to tires automatically in inclement weather, said Palmer Mosely, BIA special agent.

The units had to be approved by the majority of the tribes in the areas where they are being sent, Tucker said. The response from Oklahoma tribes was almost immediate, she said.



Reach Donna Hales at 918-684-2923 or Click Here to Send Email