"Speak your name and address to the machine"

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jpoc

1043 posts

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#138484 6-Jan-2014 19:33

What is all that about?

I was just stopped by the law on Kaipatiki Rd, on the shore.

They thrust some gadget into my face and demanded that I say my name and address.

Why?

I guess that they can demand my name and address but to make me say it into a machine seems odd.

I doubt that there is anyone in the NZ police force with the intelligence to think of trying to voice print the population on behalf of the GCSB but I have no better explanation.

It could be that they are looking for drivers whose name does not match the car rego and think that a ruse like this is more likely to get a true answer but again, I doubt that they are smart enough to come up with that.

Perhaps they have a remote breath tester that works at a distance and they just need to get people to speak at it and saying anything would do.

Anyone know more about this?

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Dangerous Chocolate
206 posts

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#962080 6-Jan-2014 19:38

It sounds very much like a breath testing check point. The device is an alcohol "sniffer", that can detect the presence of alcohol and a rough estimate of the quantity, that will suggest to the officer whether a formal breathalyzer test should be done.

Note that you don't have to use your real name, Kermit the Frog from Sesame street worked well for me :-)

Lurking ...

RunningMan

8963 posts

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#962081 6-Jan-2014 19:38

Alcohol breath tester.

stuartgr

163 posts

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#962082 6-Jan-2014 19:39

Breath test mate. Its just an indicator, rather than evidential. Surprised they didn't explain it though...

johnr

19282 posts

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#962085 6-Jan-2014 19:40

Please tell me the OP is joking? I am just checking I have not slept for 4 months and it's not 1/04/2014

Abo

78 posts

Master Geek

#962089 6-Jan-2014 19:48

I think the device is designed to download all the data out of any electronic device in your car and they just ask you to talk into it to distract you. The beep it produces means all data downloaded.

Finch

2851 posts

Uber Geek

#962093 6-Jan-2014 19:51

Abo: I think the device is designed to download all the data out of any electronic device in your car and they just ask you to talk into it to distract you. The beep it produces means all data downloaded.

Haha yeah. Wouldn't surprise me in this day and age.

jpoc

1043 posts

Uber Geek

#962096 6-Jan-2014 20:00

Virgil: It sounds very much like a breath testing check point. The device is an alcohol "sniffer", that can detect the presence of alcohol and a rough estimate of the quantity, that will suggest to the officer whether a formal breathalyzer test should be done.

Note that you don't have to use your real name, Kermit the Frog from Sesame street worked well for me :-)

Thanks, in forty years of driving in at least 12 countries, that's my first test and the only testers that I have seen on the news have been the ones that they stick in your mouth.

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ahmad

1937 posts

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#962097 6-Jan-2014 20:04

The cop stuck something in your mouth? Sounds dodgy.

theEd

341 posts

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#962098 6-Jan-2014 20:11

jpoc: Thanks, in forty years of driving in at least 12 countries, that's my first test and the only testers that I have seen on the news have been the ones that they stick in your mouth.

The "speak into" testers are much quicker than the "blow into" ones so better for a checkpoint where you want to push cars through as quick as possible. They aren't worth anything as evidence but quickly let the cop know whether to pull you aside to do a proper test.

They also save money as the cops would go through a large number of the disposable mouthpieces doing a "blow into" test on every car.

Zippity

683 posts

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#962100 6-Jan-2014 20:12

Once he stuck something in your mouth, did you suck or blow??

Careful how you answer

robjg63

4100 posts

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#962102 6-Jan-2014 20:13

They could get you to say something else into the breath tester I guess - but the hope is that you should know your own name and address.

These have been around for many, many years....

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

lxsw20

3555 posts

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#962103 6-Jan-2014 20:14

jpoc:
Virgil: It sounds very much like a breath testing check point. The device is an alcohol "sniffer", that can detect the presence of alcohol and a rough estimate of the quantity, that will suggest to the officer whether a formal breathalyzer test should be done.

Note that you don't have to use your real name, Kermit the Frog from Sesame street worked well for me :-)

Thanks, in forty years of driving in at least 12 countries, that's my first test and the only testers that I have seen on the news have been the ones that they stick in your mouth.

That's for the secondary test. The primary is always talk into the machine. Usually they show you the no alcohol result too, and there are sings around that say "Checkpoint"

johnr

19282 posts

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#962106 6-Jan-2014 20:15

But the police are recording all these tests and uploading them to the GCSB ;)

ahmad

1937 posts

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#962107 6-Jan-2014 20:16

It's merely an ice breaker to get you to say something not too awkward that lasts long enough for the machine to do its job. That job on course being to record your voice ID information and catalogue it on the police database.

The other trick I have seen the police use is to get you to count to 10. I guess that helps them improve voice ID recognition.

johnr

19282 posts

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#962109 6-Jan-2014 20:18

ahmad:The other trick I have seen the police use is to get you to count to 10. I guess that helps them improve voice ID recognition.

That question is a IQ test

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