In 2023, nearly 41 percent of fatalities on Michigan roadways involved alcohol and/or drugs, according to the Michigan State Police. That year, 8,817 crashes in the state involved alcohol while 2,250 crashes involved drugs, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
Since 2019, the Traverse City Police Department has spent $28,000 to purchase technological tools to help officers identify unknown substances and intoxication levels, including one TruNarc device, which is used by police to identify illegal drugs, and six preliminary breath tests.
TruNarc
The Traverse City Police Department was able to use grant money in 2019 to purchase a TruNarc device for $27,000. The department only has one, and all officers are trained in its use.
Community Affairs Sgt. Reed Shea said the department used the TruNarc 514 times in 2024, alone.
The device analyzes and identifies more than 530 controlled substances, cutting agents, and synthetic drugs. Officers can use the analyzer in the field and know within minutes how dangerous the substance is, Shea said.
The device can test pills, powders, and crystals without touching them, adding another layer of protection for officers. TruNarc uses a laser that can scan through glass and plastic containers.
Officers calibrate the machine every time before using it to ensure it’s accurate. Then, they simply point the laser at the substance and push a button to begin identifcation. If there is a pill with a coating, the coating must be scraped off.
But pills without coatings can be a sign that something isn’t right. Criminals can purchase pill stamps to make cheaper prescription pills or illegal drugs look like something else, Crime Prevention Officer Michael Teichman said.
“A case that I had a couple years ago was some guy who thought he was buying Adderall through the dark web, and he was actually buying methamphetamine pills,” Teichman said.
Teichman said the man didn’t know he was ingesting methamphetamine throughout his day and it changed the types of charges the department could pursue.
The TruNarc can accurately identify if a pill has been restamped and, if the device can’t identify the substance, it will come back with an “inconclusive” result.
When testing, the light pattern from the laser that is scattered off the surface of the substance being analyzed is collected by the TruNarc and matched to known drugs in the stored library.
Because the device uses laser technology, dark-colored substances cannot be identified using the TruNarc. Officers typically have to send those to a lab for testing.
The results are considered fairly accurate and can be used in court proceedings through a preliminary hearing. If a case looks like it is going to a jury trial, or if the defense challenges the results, a sample can be sent to the Michigan State Police lab for further testing, Teichman said.
For officers, TruNarc is typically used after an arrest is made, a search warrant is issued or there is a legal reason that a substance needs to be identified, Shea said.
Steps in the process Portable Breath Alcohol Testers are used earlier in the process, to help officers decide if an arrest should be made. Officers consider the PBTs just another tool they can use to help assess a situation, like a field sobriety test.
The department purchased six new PBTs in 2023 for $300 per unit, Shea said. All officers are trained in how to use them and they are kept in “duty bags,” that officers take with them on patrol.
PBTs are used a few times a day, more frequently than TruNarc, Shea said, although that doesn’t mean that every test comes back positive.
PBTs work by passing a person’s breath through potassium dichromate, which causes a chemical reaction that the device can measure and display as a blood alcohol content, or the percentage of alcohol in someone’s bloodstream. Testing takes only seconds.
Drivers have the right to refuse to participate in the field sobriety test with no negative consequences, but can face a civil infraction for refusing a PBT because of Michigan’s implied consent law.
When obtaining a driver’s license, drivers are considered to have given their implicit consent to be tested if an officer suspects they are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Michigan’s Vehicle Code, specifically Section 257.625c, establishes the implied consent law.
Officers read drivers their PBT rights prior to requesting cooperation with the test, which states, “Michigan law requires that you submit to preliminary breath analysis upon request of a peace officer. Your refusal to submit as requested shall result in your being charged with a civil infraction with a penalty of up to a $100 fine,” Shea said.
PBTs are easy and fast, which can help officers get a severely intoxicated driver emergency healthcare, if they comply.
“We do use them for medical purposes as well,” Shea said. “That helps us determine if there’s a medical issue or not, if they need to go to the hospital because they’re so intoxicated that they can’t function.”
PBTs are calibrated regularly, Shea said, but they are not considered the most reliable test and are typically inadmissible in court. This is why officers consider them just another tool or step in determining whether to make an arrest.
If an arrest is made, there is a chemical test that drivers are required to take. They are given a form with their rights explained, including their right to refuse the test or the option to specify which type of test they will submit to: breath, blood, or urine.
The Grand Traverse County Jail has an Intoxilyzer 9000 chemical breath test, but all three types of tests are highly accurate and these results can be used in court.
Breath tests are the least intrusive, but individuals are still able to opt out of any testing.
However, the implied consent law imposes stricter penalties at this stage, including the suspension of their license and six points on their driving record. And law enforcement can then attempt to get a search warrant to get the blood sample.
Assessing drivers’ intoxication levels to keep the driver, and others on the road, safe impacts everyone, Shea said.
“If you travel in any way, it’s going to impact you,” he said. “It’s something that everyone that drives worries about. And these are tools, tools that help us do our job more effectively.”
© 2025 The Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
