“The Robustness of the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) Test,” an article by the top federal researcher of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Marcelline Burns, was supposed to be released in 2004. This study was supposed to explore different variations of the mysterious HGN eye test, where officers move a finger or pen before a person’s face, declaring the person drunk or sober in under a minute.

The Michigan State Police Toxicology Unit analyzes blood and urine samples for drugs and alcohol, often times for enforcing Michigan’s DUI laws. Each year, the laboratory performs 13,000 tests for alcohol and 2,500 tests for drugs. Although blood is generally more reliable than breath testing for alcohol, it is not infallible. Blood samples are frequently handled improperly. These samples are not refrigerated until they reach the state lab, and the samples are not tested for weeks or months.