U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure high-tech, portable chemical screening devices to locate illegal drugs.
“Right now, our family members, friends, and neighbors across West Virginia are dying at record rates from drug overdoses, most of which are caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids,” Sen. Capito said. “Our law enforcement officers play a vital role in keeping these deadly substances out of our communities, and they need modern technology and support to help them do their jobs.”
Sen. Capito on Sept. 27 joined a dozen original cosponsors to introduce the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act, S. 2853, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). The bill would establish a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice to fund the devices. U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Conor Lamb (D-PA) on the same day introduced the identical bill, H.R. 5382, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
If enacted, the measure would provide grants to state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies to purchase chemical screening devices and train personnel to use them in order to enhance law enforcement efficiency and protect law enforcement officers, according to the congressional record bill summary.
Federal law enforcement already uses such devices to identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl at U.S. ports of entry. The devices utilize laser technology to analyze and identify substances based on a library of thousands of compounds that are categorized within the device, according to a summary provided by Sen. Capito’s staff.
“The POWER Act builds upon my previous work to provide law enforcement with high-tech, portable screening devices and bring innovative solutions to tackle the drug crisis head on,” said Sen. Capito. “This bipartisan bill can truly help save lives in our state and across the country.”
Such devices also would help address the backlog of drugs awaiting laboratory identification, allow law enforcement to better conduct drug investigations and prosecutions against drug trafficking, and enable state and local officers to alert local health departments and others when fentanyl is found in a community to help prevent accidental overdoses, the summary says.
The POWER Act is supported by numerous law enforcement organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and the International Union of Police Associations, among many others.