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West Lafayette police to give free blood-alcohol tests during bar hours

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – On Friday, people may notice a few extra police officers walking around the bars in West Lafayette.

It’s for a program the West Lafayette Police Department is trying out for the first time.

The new Program is called “Know Your Limit.” The mission is to help educate people on their blood-alcohol content after drinking and prevent people from driving under the influence.

People who are approached by police officers, Sgt. Troy Greene said, should not be alarmed. WLPD received around $2,000 in grant money from the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County to do this.

Participants will be asked how many drinks they have had and if they think they are OK to drive. Then they will take a portable breath test, sometimes called a PBT by police. Greene said he hopes this is a fun event and people share their experience on social media.

“They may do it the first time. They may go back out and have a few more drinks, come back a little bit later on, say, ‘Hey, I’ve had four drinks tonight,’ I’ve had five drinks tonight, can you PBT me and see where I stand,” Greene said.

Officers will be running this program from 10 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday. Greene said he hopes the effort helps prevent people from driving under the influence by knowing their limit.

“That way, they can kinda get a feel for in the future,” Greene said.

He said volunteers will remember, “Back when I was in college, I had two drinks, I got PBT’d, I realized I was over the limit. So hopefully they carry this with them for the rest of their lives.”

The officers have around 1,000 disposable tubes for these tests, and people can participate in the program more than once throughout the night.

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