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Calgary police are putting a hold on requiring every driver to undergo roadside impairment testing when pulled over as part of their efforts to protect officers from COVID-19.

The mandatory roadside alcohol testing program was rolled out in January and applied to all drivers pulled over in traffic stops or going through a Checkstop.

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“That’s (a program) we saw not just in our department but across the country where we’re asking people generally to blow on a smaller version of a breathalyzer,” said Supt. Steve Barlow Wednesday.

“We’ve suspended that at this point.”

No change is being made to the way police deal with suspected impaired drivers, Barlow said.

He added that CPS will look to reintroduce mandatory roadside alcohol testing “after our COVID-19 situation subsides.”

When it was introduced at the start of the year, the program attracted the ire of some civil liberties and lawyers’ groups, who argued it is unconstitutional to require drivers whom police do not suspect of impairment to submit to the testing.