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POWER Act Aims to Fund Science-based Technology to Address Opioid Crisis

Police departments look to advanced tools like those provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific to help thwart the drug trade and keep them safe

By Philip Clelland

Manager, Corporate Stewardship Communications

In small towns and large cities across the United States, the opioid crisis continues to unfold with devastating consequences, claiming lives and overwhelming communities. In the 12-month period ending in November 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 80,000 Americans died due to an opioid overdose.

As this public health emergency deepens, law enforcement officers are on the front lines, confronting not only the challenge of curbing illegal drug distribution but also the increasing physical risks associated with their efforts.

The introduction of potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl has particularly escalated the stakes. Fentanyl, which is 50-to-100 times stronger than morphine, poses a severe hazard not only to users but to first responders who might come into contact with it in the field.

Incidents where officers have been affected by exposure to fentanyl, experiencing symptoms as severe as respiratory distress and disorientation, have underscored the silent, pervasive threats these substances pose.

 

As police departments equip their personnel with naloxone kits—an antidote for opioid overdoses—the reality of the opioid crisis has shifted the nature of law enforcement work from not only enforcing the law but also saving lives. This dual role adds an emotional and physical toll on officers who face these dangers daily and is now also driving the need to equip them with more sophisticated tools to help them thwart the drug trade and keep them safe.

 

The urgent need for better technology in the battle against the opioid crisis has captured the attention of lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

 

In a rare show of bipartisan cooperation, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and Representative David Joyce (R-OH) have jointly introduced the Protecting Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act. This legislative proposal aims to provide federal funding to assist law enforcement agencies across the country in acquiring advanced technology designed to fight the drug trade.

 

The POWER Act recognizes that while the opioid crisis is a national issue, its effects are felt most acutely at the local level. By equipping state and local law enforcement with sophisticated tools like handheld chemical analyzers provided by Thermo Fisher Scientific, the bill seeks to enhance the safety and efficacy of officers who face this epidemic daily.

 

“Fentanyl has infected every state, and every police force needs the tools to defend against this drug of mass destruction,” Sen. Cotton said. “Our bill would give local and state police the same equipment that federal law enforcement already uses to detect fentanyl in the field. Identifying the drug so quickly allows officers to act faster and with greater certainty, whether to protect themselves and their communities or to bring traffickers to justice.”

Fighting Crime with Science-based Technology

In response to the opioid crisis, the Redmond Police Department in Washington has recently equipped its officers with Thermo ScientificTM TruNarcTM Handheld Narcotics Analyzer, which enables officers to conduct a presumptive test safely and accurately without direct contact.

 

Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe emphasized the dual benefits of TruNarc: "As an agency head, I saw the benefit of it both from the safety perspective of our staff, but also the safety perspective of the community.”

 

The device uses laser-based technology to scan unknown substances through transparent bags or containers to determine if they are a particular type of illicit drug, significantly reducing the risk of exposure to harmful substances like fentanyl. Getting results onsite within minutes enables officers to make swift decisions during their investigations. Adoption of the tool underscores a growing trend among law enforcement agencies to integrate more science-based tools into their strategies to manage and mitigate the impacts of this ongoing epidemic.

 

“Now we’re able to rapidly identify substances in the field and before we bring them into the [building],” Chief Lowe said. “If we need to, we can isolate it or package it so we don’t end up with an incidental contamination or exposure to what we know to be a deadly substance."

 

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“The TruNarc results can lead to a defendant’s indictment and potentially a plea agreement which helps streamline the court process,. This means faster adjudication of court cases all the while reducing both the court and lab caseload.”
Detective Brian Coen
Quincy Police Department, Quincy, Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, the Quincy Police Department adopted the TruNarc analyzer more than a decade ago. In fact, the department’s Drug Control Unit helped beta test the TruNarc to verify the analyzer’s accuracy against drugs already identified by the crime lab.

 

For Detective Brian Coen and the Drug Control Unit, TruNarc has been a game changer for processing evidence and providing more accurate results.

 

“You can’t put a price on safety,” he said.

 

Detective Coen also credits the TruNarc for expediting court cases by assisting in reducing caseloads for lab analysts.

 

“The TruNarc results can lead to a defendant’s indictment and potentially a plea agreement which helps streamline the court process,” he said. “This means faster adjudication of court cases all the while reducing both the court and lab caseload.”

 

Meanwhile, police departments across the country await lawmakers’ decision on the POWER Act. The legislation has the support of numerous law enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Sheriffs' Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), Major County Sheriffs of America, National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), National District Attorney’s Association (NDAA), and the National HIDTA Directors Association.

“Our state and local law enforcement officers, who are on the forefront of preventing the deadly influx of synthetic fentanyl into their communities, need all the resources they can get to address the crisis,” wrote Patrick Yoes, national president of National Fraternal Order of Police in a letter endorsing the bill.

The bipartisan nature of the bill underscores the universal recognition of the opioid crisis as a critical public health and safety issue, transcending political divisions. As the POWER Act moves through Congress, it carries the hopes of many communities and law enforcement agencies that a more robust federal response will provide the necessary resources to turn the tide in the fight against opioid trafficking and abuse.

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