CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : CHP Won’t Use Its Alcohol Sniffer

An electronic sniffer dubbed an “extension of the officer’s nose” won’t be used after all by the California Highway Patrol at highway sobriety checkpoints. “Some people felt this (device) could be construed as excessively intrusive,” said CHP spokesman Sam Haynes. The gadget resembles a large flashlight. It would have been placed near an open car widow. A sensor in the device determines whether the odor of alcohol is present. The CHP had announced last week that it would begin using the electronic devices starting early next year.