Booze Ban Gets a Boost From Technology

Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008 5:53 PM PDT

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If you were thinking of getting around the booze ban at local beaches and state parks this holiday weekend by pouring your adult beverage into a different container, the plan just got more difficult.

Lifeguards and park rangers in Del Mar spent the day testing a passive alcohol detector device -- a high-tech gadget that "sniffs" the air to detect if there is alcohol nearby.

According to a video here from our media partner NBC 7/39, Del Mar lifeguards got the device on loan two weeks ago and will be using it this weekend. Check out their coverage here:

The device uses a pump to detect alcohol. Colored lights on the side of the flashlight-shaped gadget glow red if alcohol is sniffed out, green if not.

Lifeguards said most violators will just be asked to throw out the booze, but that "depending on the attitude or what the situation is" they could be cited $100 for the first offense.

Del Mar will have the device on loan for another couple of weeks. Officials are trying to determine whether each device is worth an $800 investment.

Just a reminder: Alcohol is illegal on every beach in San Diego County except for the Silver Strand State Beach and a stretch of Camp Pendleton.

-- DARRYN BENNETT