Fla. employees paid to get drunk

SARASOTA, Fla., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed it paid 15 employees to get drunk to test the accuracy of the Intoxilyzer 8000 breath test.

The FDLE revealed to a panel of judges in Sarasota County in December that it spent $330 on alcohol, mixers and Doritos for 15 employees to drink on company time and blow into the Intoxilyzer 8000s to test their accuracy, the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald Tribune reported Thursday.

However, the judges expressed skepticism about the accuracy of the study because the blood work from the employees was not ready in time for the December hearing. The judges are considering the future of the use of the machines in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

The $8,000 study was performed after investigators found many flawed machines had stayed in service in the state and breath test results from about 100 cases in the two counties were thrown out as a result of the probe.

The judges are expected to issue a ruling in the coming days.