After a long wait after an ethics scandal, the Washington State Patrol Toxicology Lab Division learned yesterday that it would become accredited by the American Society of Crime Lab Directorys Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD).

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is responsible for all of the breath test machines in use in Washington DUI cases. The breath test program is responsible for verifying the accuracy of the breath test machines.

The new ASCLD accreditation ranks the program amongst only 3 others to achieve the honor in the whole world.

Many believe the lab sought the accreditation after its reputation was tarnished by the unethical behavior of a former manager at the lab. Since the scandal which rippled through Washington State Courts, many courts have refused to let breath test evidence into court. The lab hopes that this accreditation will restore its standings and open the door to using breath test results against WA DUI defendants.

According to Seattle DUI Attorney Aaron Wolff, the state will be moving to reconsider the Courts' rulings preventing the use of the machines maintained by WSP in court.