Officials with the State College Police Department unveiled new alcohol-detecting flashlights on Monday as their latest tool to combat drunk driving.

Officer Kelly Aston used a styrofoam cup of rum to demonstrate how the passive sensor flashlights work inside the borough building on Monday afternoon.

“It uses a pump to pull in ambient air from around a person, that they exhaled in a breath. Once it gets to the red (mark), that’s an indication that the person is going to be put through some other battery of tests.

Police Chief Tom King told WJAC-TV that the cutting-edge flashlights are not admissible in court and do not replace a blood or breathalyzer test, but provide officers a new tool to help detect the presence of alcohol without a driver undergoing a standard test.

“The short duration of sobriety checkpoints, stopping people along the road, even though they haven't committed any offense, is a small price to pay for the overall public safety of the roadways and the protection of roadways, because of the danger of drunk driving,” said King. “That same thing wouldn't be okay, and I wouldn't be okay, with some kind of sobriety checkpoints for everybody walking down the street."

Despite rising reports of DUI arrests and alcohol overdoses, Penn State graduate student Michael Hanley told WJAC-TV that the use of alcohol-detecting flashlights during routine traffic stops is intrusive.

"I would definitely think that they should let you know what you are doing, in the same way that they're letting you know that they’re checking you license, checking your registration,” said Hanley. “They have to be upfront with it, or else, how could they ever hold something against you without letting you know that that's what they were doing?”   Penn State senior Lynne Kitsoulas said the new technology will help the crackdown on drunk driving in Happy Valley.

“It’s a good idea. I don’t think anybody needs to know. It’s never a good idea to drink and drive at any point.”