Captain Brian Lawrence presented Lincoln County Commissioners Tuesday with the device that all jails in Massachusetts are using, according to the jail administrator.

``It's a good tool,'' Lawrence said. ``The staff is excited that they don't have to get into people's faces.''

The cost for the electronic device is $395. Lawrence said the money could be paid by the ABC account - which aids in purchasing such products.

``This takes 30 seconds compared to five to ten minutes,'' he said.

Although the ``Alcoblow'' can't be used in court, unlike the intoxilizer, the device can be used to bring probable cause charges. A light indicates the alcohol level by giving a high or low reading, according to Lawrence.

Also, the end of the ``Alcoblow'' can be dipped into a beverage to determine if it contains alcohol.

``In jail there is a zero line of tolerance,'' Lawrence said. ``If somebody drank last night we would know.''

Lawrence said ``Alcoblow'' will be used for people who need to visit the jail as a bail condition, furlow, or work release.

``I think it will save a lot of time and money,'' Sheriff William Carter said.

In other Lincoln County Sheriff's Department news, Captain Lawrence reported 22 inmates ``in-house,'' seven boarded out, and three on electronic monitoring devices.

Lawrence reported when seven people are boarded out for a month it costs $12,600. The captain noted that he is still having problems with overpopulation at the jail.

In Other Commissioners News

* Director of Emergency Man-agement Gerald Silva discussed hiring Michael Trask, from Alna, to work as a driver for the county.

* Silva asked if commissioners would consider getting a credit card to be used for county expenses.

* Silva requested that commissioners look into a voice mail system that will notify detectives and patrolmen when new mail is received. Commissioners said they will discuss all three topics.