Patrons will leave if two uniformed police officers walk into a bar and ask for volunteers to take alcohol breath tests, said some Casper bar owners.

Casper Police Chief Tom Pagel said the new program, which began in May, was designed to be educational and informational rather than intimidating.

"We found people were saying, 'I always wondered how many drinks it would take,' or 'I wondered what two drinks would do,'" he said. "It was meant to be an educational program."

Local bar owners spoke to the Casper City Council after a Tuesday meeting and expressed concern and disapproval of police wandering through their establishments with the portable breath tests.

Poplar Wine and Spirits owner Mike Reid said most of the customers he talked to at his wine bar, Vintage, said they would "be gone in a heartbeat" if officers were in the bar performing the tests.

Officers usually visit establishments on Mondays or Wednesdays and early in the evening, Pagel said.

The tests are meant to be an educational and voluntary experience to let people know how many drinks it takes to put them over the legal driving limit.

Most tested below the legal limit to drive, Pagel said, and some of those who were over the legal limit called taxis to taken them home. Police have made no drunken driving arrests related to the tests.

Casper police expect to make 650 drunken driving arrests this year, Pagel said, and 750 public intoxication arrests. That compares with 580 drunken drivers arrested in 2007.

The average blood-alcohol level of those arrested is 0.16, which is double the legal driving limit. Casper leads the state in alcohol-related accidents, as well as alcohol-related injuries.

Both Reid and Wonder Bar owner Pat Sweeney said they understand alcohol abuse is a problem in Casper and across the nation. They work to train their bartenders to recognize when people have had too much to drink and call taxis for people who can't drive.

Sweeney said he is frustrated because the city did not notify bar owners before the program began. He and other owners want to work with the city to come to a solution that works for both parties.

Some council members said they thought it was a good program, but they also understood the bar owners' concerns.

The council plans to meet with Pagel and bar owners in an upcoming work session to further discuss the program as well as other possible solutions to alcohol-related problems.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com