Page 36 - November December Issue
P. 36
Elite Investigative Journal
The Breathalyzer & Police: A Tribute to Robert F. Borkenstein’s Life and Career, pg 36-37
©2014-2015 Press Enter Resolve, LLC
The Breathalyzer & Police: A Tribute to Robert F. Borkenstein’s Life
and Career By Jim Wigmore
Photo Courtesy of Jim Wigmore
On this day one hundred years ago, Robert F. then included many international experts including
Borkenstein, the inventor of the Breathalyzer and J.J. Havard from the UK, Robert Forney Sr. and Kurt
internationally known educator and researcher, was Dubowski. The Borkenstein course continues to
born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He joined the Indiana maintain its excellence with faculty like Kurt Dubowski
State Police becoming a state trooper in 1936 and (emeritus), Bob Forney (son of Robert Forney Sr.),
eventually became captain and director of the Wayne Jones (Sweden), Rod Gullberg, Barry Logan
Indiana State Police Criminological Laboratory, one (originally from the UK) and many other well-qualiied
of the irst police laboratories in the US. lecturers (www.borkensteincourse.org). I joined the
faculty in 2004 and now teach on the Borkenstein course
Known to many as “Bob”, he developed a working in May and December of each year. It is a great privilege
model of the Breathalyzer in the partially dirt-loored and honor to teach on the same course that I took over 25
basement of his small Indianapolis home in February years ago.
1954 (to see the Breathalyzer patent click here). The
Breathalyzer became one of the most successful and Robert F. Borkenstein had a strong connection to the
widely-used breath alcohol testing instruments used Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) in Toronto, where I
by the police throughout the world. Over 30,000 worked for 29 years. The irst scientiic paper published
units were sold between 1955 and 1999, a record in about the Breathalyzer was one written by Robert F.
longevity that will almost certainly not be repeated. Borkenstein and H. Ward Smith in 1961 (WOA30101,
The Breathalyzer was so widely used by the police WOA30102). H. Ward Smith was the irst director of the
that it has almost become a generic name for any CFS and he obtained the second Breathalyzer ever built.
breath testing instrument. Bob’s invention has The Breathalyzer was basically the only breath alcohol
contributed greatly to increased trafic safety over instrument used by the police in Canada for nearly 40
the years and has become an irreplaceable tool of the years.
police.
Bob also conducted a ground-breaking study into
In 1958, Robert F. Borkenstein retired from the the effects of alcohol on the risk of a motor vehicle
Indiana State Police and started a course at Indiana collision called the Grand Rapids Study. By studying
University in Bloomington on alcohol and trafic the BrACs of over12,000 drivers in the City of Grand
safety. The course, now known to many as the Rapids, Michigan between 1962 and 1963 (WOA50501),
“Borkenstein course” or the “Borky”, continues to he developed the Grand Rapids Relative Risk Curve
this day. I took the course in 1985 and the faculty showing the increasing risk of causing a motor vehicle
36
The Breathalyzer & Police: A Tribute to Robert F. Borkenstein’s Life and Career, pg 36-37
©2014-2015 Press Enter Resolve, LLC
The Breathalyzer & Police: A Tribute to Robert F. Borkenstein’s Life
and Career By Jim Wigmore
Photo Courtesy of Jim Wigmore
On this day one hundred years ago, Robert F. then included many international experts including
Borkenstein, the inventor of the Breathalyzer and J.J. Havard from the UK, Robert Forney Sr. and Kurt
internationally known educator and researcher, was Dubowski. The Borkenstein course continues to
born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He joined the Indiana maintain its excellence with faculty like Kurt Dubowski
State Police becoming a state trooper in 1936 and (emeritus), Bob Forney (son of Robert Forney Sr.),
eventually became captain and director of the Wayne Jones (Sweden), Rod Gullberg, Barry Logan
Indiana State Police Criminological Laboratory, one (originally from the UK) and many other well-qualiied
of the irst police laboratories in the US. lecturers (www.borkensteincourse.org). I joined the
faculty in 2004 and now teach on the Borkenstein course
Known to many as “Bob”, he developed a working in May and December of each year. It is a great privilege
model of the Breathalyzer in the partially dirt-loored and honor to teach on the same course that I took over 25
basement of his small Indianapolis home in February years ago.
1954 (to see the Breathalyzer patent click here). The
Breathalyzer became one of the most successful and Robert F. Borkenstein had a strong connection to the
widely-used breath alcohol testing instruments used Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) in Toronto, where I
by the police throughout the world. Over 30,000 worked for 29 years. The irst scientiic paper published
units were sold between 1955 and 1999, a record in about the Breathalyzer was one written by Robert F.
longevity that will almost certainly not be repeated. Borkenstein and H. Ward Smith in 1961 (WOA30101,
The Breathalyzer was so widely used by the police WOA30102). H. Ward Smith was the irst director of the
that it has almost become a generic name for any CFS and he obtained the second Breathalyzer ever built.
breath testing instrument. Bob’s invention has The Breathalyzer was basically the only breath alcohol
contributed greatly to increased trafic safety over instrument used by the police in Canada for nearly 40
the years and has become an irreplaceable tool of the years.
police.
Bob also conducted a ground-breaking study into
In 1958, Robert F. Borkenstein retired from the the effects of alcohol on the risk of a motor vehicle
Indiana State Police and started a course at Indiana collision called the Grand Rapids Study. By studying
University in Bloomington on alcohol and trafic the BrACs of over12,000 drivers in the City of Grand
safety. The course, now known to many as the Rapids, Michigan between 1962 and 1963 (WOA50501),
“Borkenstein course” or the “Borky”, continues to he developed the Grand Rapids Relative Risk Curve
this day. I took the course in 1985 and the faculty showing the increasing risk of causing a motor vehicle
36
