State and local law enforcement would be supplied with portable, high-tech detection devices that could be used to identify dangerous narcotics under bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
“I am proud to join this bipartisan legislation as we continue our effort to end the opioid epidemic,” Sen. Tillis said last week.
The Providing Officers With Electronic Resources (POWER) Act, S. 954, sponsored on March 28 by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), would create a new U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant program to support law enforcement organizations in purchasing the screening devices, which would detect hazardous drugs including fentanyl.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s 80-100 times stronger than morphine, has powerful opioid properties that have made the drug popular for abuse, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin,” the DEA says. “Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths.”
“Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous drug that continues to pour into our country and devastate communities,” said Sen. Tillis. “We must equip our law enforcement officials with the tools and resources they need to detect these illegal substances.”
In fact, federal law enforcement officials already use such devices to identify dangerous drugs at U.S. ports of entry, according to the senator’s statement, which noted that the devices utilize laser technology to analyze potentially harmful substances and to identify them based on a library of thousands of compounds categorized within the device.
“Following our success in securing new screening devices for federal law enforcement agents last year, we need to give Ohio officers the same tools to detect these dangerous drugs,” Sen. Brown said.
Sen. Tillis said that such devices also would address the backlog of drugs awaiting laboratory identification, which in turn could enable state and local law enforcement to better conduct drug investigations and prosecutions toward tackling drug trafficking.
Currently, he said, suspected drugs must be sent to labs for testing that may take months and cause delays in the justice system.
S. 954 has garnered the support of the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the National Association of Police Organizations, the International Union of Police Associations, and the National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, among other organizations.
“The opioid crisis is devastating our communities, destroying countless lives and putting an enormous burden on sheriffs and their deputies,” said National Sheriffs’ Association Director Jonathan Thompson. “This bill goes a long way in alleviating drug testing backlogs fueled by the opioid crisis and to better protect deputies and officers from exposure to the drugs.”
Among the members who joined Sen. Tillis as a cosponsor of S. 954 are U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Cory Gardner (R-CO).
S. 954 is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.