Kansas City police department offer breath tests to bar patrons

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When bar patrons are lined up on a weekend night to have their intoxication levels checked, that usually means there's a roadblock involved and a threat that some of them may end up behind bars.

But on Friday night, drinkers voluntarily stood in line outside Tanner's Bar and Grill in Waldo to have their blood-alcohol levels measured by Kansas City police officers. The bar patrons were promised there would no ramifications or tickets issued.

The Kansas City Star reported that among those taking breath tests was Mike Bristoff of Kansas City, who drank five beers and said he didn't feel like he was drunk.

"I feel like I could put my hands on the wheel," he said.

When he blew into a device that measures blood-alcohol content, he was shocked his level was .126, well above the state's legal limit of .08.

"Had I not seen the numbers, I would think I would be OK to drive," Bristoff said. "I'm just glad I'm getting a ride home."

The new program, patterned after a similar effort that started in 2009 in Scottsdale, Ariz., is called Know Your Limits. Police said it gives people a chance to see how alcohol affects drinkers and how many beverages it takes to put them over the legal limit.

Police participating in the event purposely left well before the bars closed so people wouldn't worry about being followed home.

Lisa FitzGibbon of Kansas City and her husband went to Waldo on Friday specifically to take part in the program. She said she felt buzzed after three beers, but registered only .02 on the breath test.

"This is backfiring for me," she said. "I used to think I couldn't drive after two beers."

Police Sgt. Ron Podraza said he was surprised at the public's positive response to the event. The first to get a reading was Luke Ruhl, who blew a .227, nearly three times the legal limit and the highest level of the night.

Ruhl said he lives nearby and planned to walk home. While he didn't look drunk, he said he felt intoxicated and knew he would test above the limit.

"I just didn't know what the exact number would be," he said. "I was kind of curious."

Kansas City Police Capt. Bob Zimmerman said a member of the department's command staff was in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a golf tournament and afterward took the test himself after a few beers.

He was surprised that, although he didn't feel impaired, he was over the legal limit, Zimmerman said, adding that the commander handed his keys to his wife that night and then brought the idea back home.

Most bar managers in the Waldo area cooperated in Friday's event. Rodney Couey, general manager at Tanner's, said he looked at the effort as a great opportunity for his customers.

"I mean, how many people have actually taken a Breathalyzer?" he said.

Zimmerman said no similar efforts are planned for the future, but the department will assess how things went Friday and may look for a grant or other funding to keep the program going.