OHP Plans To Start Using Patrol Vehicle Equipped With Intoxilyzer

A new Oklahoma Highway Patrol Tahoe is expected to hit the roads sometime in February.

"It's going to be an actual patrol car that we can use on a daily basis,” OHP Trooper Russell Callicoat said.

Callicoat says the inside of the SUV will be installed with an intoxilyzer, the same machine found inside an ENDUI van. It's used to test people suspected of drinking and driving. The machines are usually located at sheriff’s offices, police departments, and troop headquarters, Callicoat said.

"In some parts of the state, to get to one of these machines, it's a very long drive,” he said. “So this will cut down on that amount of time."

The ENDUI van was designed for checkpoints, and not necessarily everyday use. The new patrol vehicle will allow the intoxilyzer machine to go straight to a scene.

Callicoat says it will be the first of its kind in Oklahoma.

"This is gonna be a very effective tool that is going to be able to be used not only by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, but by every other law enforcement agency in the state,” Callicoat said.

The ENDUI van in Tulsa will still get plenty of use, especially at monthly checkpoints throughout the city.