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| Field drug tests for fentanyl a thing of the past, law enforcement says |
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2/22/2019
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
Local law enforcement have stopped conducting field tests on suspected fentanyl to prevent coming into contact with the extremely dangerous substance that can result in serious injury or death.
In the past, local law enforcement used kits to test for the presence of fentanyl and other drugs before the substances were sent to the Kentucky State Police crime lab for confirmation. Now suspected fentanyl goes directly to the crime lab.
Field tests are still conducted on other drugs, authorities say.
The confirmation process at the crime lab can take months because of the backlog of evidence with the KSP.
Elimination of the fentanyl field tests, however, do not prevent prosecution for possession or trafficking, authorities say.
Law enforcement carry field kits, each including a chemical agent that will activate into a certain color if that particular drug is present. If it fails to activate, the drug is not present, law enforcement explain.
There are individual tests for various drugs such as marijuana, methampthetamine or cocaine, for example.
The dangers that prompted the change in policy involve the substance fentanyl that is described as 50 times stronger than heroin. It is a man made chemical primarily produced abroad, most notably just across the southern border in Mexico.
The Mt. Sterling Police Dept. and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office instituted the field test policy about 18 months ago when the use of fentanyl was at an all-time high.
Former Sheriff Fred Shortridge implemented the change of policy in the sheriff’s office. Current sheriff David Charles instituted the policy at the police dept. when he was previously chief there.
Fentanyl can be used on its own, but is often used to lace heroin.
Law enforcement will occasionally field test for heroin, but not if they suspect that it may be laced with fentanyl, Charles said.
Because fentanyl can be absorbed directly into the skin, law enforcement were worried that officers could endanger themselves by coming into direct contact with the substance, Charles said.
In doing so, the officers open themselves up to the potentially dangerous side effects of the drug, including death, Charles said.
Short of death, exposure to fentanyl can cause unconsciousness, cardiac or respiratory distress and extreme dizziness that makes it dangerous to drive machinery or carry a weapon, among other things, he said.
“If we suspect it is fentanyl we usually will secure it and send it to the lab where it can be tested in a much more controlled environment,” Charles said.
There have been numerous reports of officers being injured from exposure to fentanyl in jurisdictions across the country.
For that reason, officers with both local agencies carry Narcan in their vehicles as a precautionary measure in case they become exposed to fentanyl in the course of their duties, Charles said.
Narcan reverses the effects of an opiate overdose and can prevent death.
Charles said it’s more important than ever to keep law enforcement, who already face many dangers, safe from the scourge of drugs.
In the past the dangers to officers most often came from individuals looking to harm someone else and vehicular accidents, he said.
“We have since morphed into non-traditional dangers such as poisoning and the long term health effects from the illicit drugs that are being used,” Charles said.
Prior to the fentanyl scare, officers were endangered by exposure to methamphetamine, particularly when it was made through homemade labs known commonly as the “shake and bake” variety.
Speaking of fentanyl, Charles said that “if you’re exposed to it by contact then it can lead to loss of life or permanent damage to your health. We’re having to guard more and more against the non-traditional dangers than the traditional dangers (officers) face.”
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