Portable drug testing equipment cuts into Etowah drug case backlog
William Thornton | wthornton@al.com By William Thornton on July 09, 2014 at 8:01 AM, updated July 09, 2014 at 8:08 AM
GADSDEN, Alabama -- Etowah County law enforcement officials say a new device has helped them significantly cut into a backlog of drug cases in just three months.
But it's been a busy three months for Darron Walker, an agent with Etowah County's Drug Enforcement Unit. Walker has been using TruNarc, a portable spectroscopic tool that analyzes suspected narcotics and identifies them, usually within a few minutes.
"It's all I've done for the past few months," Walker said. "But it's very easy."
Etowah County obtained the equipment, which was partially paid for through an ADECA grant, at a cost of about $40,000, said Commander Rob Savage. The device has a database and can make a determination of substances through plastic bags or glass, which prevents evidence contamination and exposure. It also recognizes substances like spice, bath salts and other narcotics. The device usually needs about a quarter gram to render a determination.The importance of the equipment comes when one considers that, prior to using TruNarc, Etowah County had a three-year backlog in terms of waiting for results from the state Department of Forensics. Because of budget cuts and the closure of the Jacksonville forensics lab, Savage said, about 2,000 cases lagged while waiting for tests.
"It's like a hand-held breathalyzer," Walker said.
If the substance cannot be determined, Walker said, TruNarc's manufacturer Thermo Scientific offers support online to help make determinations. The company also offers training to allow users to understand how TruNarc works.
"The hardest part is the paperwork," said Woody Johnson, deputy commander.
"We realize with state budget cuts and the closure of a number of facilities why this was the case," Savage said. "We had to look at other alternatives because our system had literally come to a stop."
Stalled cases have effects beyond investigation, Savage said. If a drug offender has to wait for his case to come to trial, chances are more likely he may break the law again. With new sentencing guidelines, drug cases usually end in plea agreements, which lead to court supervision, and chances are less likely of reoffending.
Over the last three months, the department has been able to move about 250 cases a month, largely cutting the backlog in half. Savage said the unit hopes to have the backlog taken care of by the end of the year.
That's good news for Etowah County District Attorney Jimmie Harp.
"We're definitely seeing a benefit because of TruNarc," Harp said. "We're able to take cases to the grand jury where before we didn't have a toxicology report. Now, a defendant doesn't have to wait for his day in court. It's been a godsend."
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US Police Testing Hand-Held Laser Drug Detector
Police in a few departments around the U.S. are testing a hand-held laser device, which boosters can immediately identify illegal drugs and could revolutionize how narcotics cases are investigated and prosecuted.
Proponents hope the device, called TruNarc, will help officers quickly discern illicit substances at a time when police are seeing a surge in new, harder-to-identify designer drugs such as the psychoactive powders known as "bath salts."
Paul Keenan, chief of police in Quincy, Mass., said his detectives have been using it for months, alongside traditional drug-testing kits.
"It's cop-proof. It's rugged, dependable and easy to use," said Keenan. He compared the potential impact of the device to breath analyzers used on suspected drunken drivers, which allow street cops to produce data routinely accepted in court.
Traditional drug kits are used by police to justify initial arrest and further investigation, but courts require laboratory testing if a case gets that far. Although judges have yet to rule on whether TruNarc data is admissible in court, Quincy is employing the device in all its narcotics cases, in hopes that judges will start accepting the results. TruNarc relies on a technology, called Raman spectroscopy, that is already used in many drug labs.
The device "will take away a lot of the gamesmanship between arrest and trial," said Keenan.
Joseph Bozenko, a clandestine-laboratory coordinator for the Drug Enforcement Administration, uses a Raman-spectroscopy device in drug labs around the world. He said the newer versions of the technology are getting "rave reviews" from his colleagues in the field, but cautioned that the issue is more complicated than just shrinking lab equipment to a portable size and using it in the street or police station.
"That technology is in no way a substitute for full routine analysis and a certified laboratory setting," said Bozenko. "I would not go to court based on a test I ran in a clandestine laboratory in the middle of a mountain crime scene."
TruNarc was developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Waltham, Mass. The Quincy police department bought three of the devices. Police in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles also have been trying the device.
Raman spectroscopy throws a small laser light at a substance. Each chemical compound scatters that light in a slightly different pattern, and the device then compares the pattern with those in its library to identify the substance.
Narcotics & Forensics
Law enforcement agencies are continually pushed to do more with less. Faced with new threats every day, they must provide for the protection of a growing number of constituents—and the safety of their officers—with tightly limited resources.
Thermo Scientific handheld chemical identification instruments provide rapid identification of unknown chemicals on the scene – where and when it's needed. Narcotics, cutting agents, and precursor materials are identified in the field using an easy-to-use method that preserves evidence. TruNarc is a critical tool in the war on crime and can help multiply the efficiency of already constrained investigative resources. Further, TruNarc enables law enforcement agencies to spend the time and resources where they're needed most, while strengthening prosecution and increasing officer safety.
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| Unknown substances are identified directly through sealed containers with TruNarc, minimizing exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. |
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| TruNarc enables law enforcement agencies to prioritize evidence for faster analysis and prosecution. |
Pinning down a deadly recipe
It was just another sunny afternoon in the cruiser until you found yourself investigating a woman who is literally clawing at her own skin. On the ground you note a container with a white substance has fallen from her bag. Based on what you know, is this woman high on PCP? You observe her rapid eye movement and think twice about how to approach. Could it be she’s OD’d on meth? Maybe it’s neither. Bath salts have been on doctors’ and law enforcement’s radar for the past few years, but seem to be picking up pace. (Editor’s note: Read LET’s August 2011 “Drug Watch: Bath Salt Ban” at www.officer.com/10343027 for more facts pertaining to the drug.) Some say bath salts are similar to PCP with its volatile, violent symptoms. Unfortunately this drug (chemically, at least) is not that simple.
“There’s very little that we actually know about how they interact on the brain,” says John Johnson, director of law enforcement programs at Thermo Scientific Portable Analytic Instruments. Johnson uses his background in biochemistry to build the right technology for specific applications in the field.
“What we do know,” says Johnson, “is mephedrone has been available in the UK for the many years, and seems to be the one most likely of causing an overdose.” He describes bath salts as “a combination of the worst of all drugs put together.” It’s difficult, then, for officers on the street to recognize someone using this substance specifically.
TruNarc can identify the MDPV as well as numerous other chemicals common in bath salts. This is important, because not only can law enforcement search for and find these active ingredients tout de suite, officers can also detect trends in over-the-counter drugs and keep a watchful eye on emerging “ingredient” make-up. Even though the DEA recently added three bath salt substances to their list, TruNarc’s currently got nine (not all illegal) identified bath salts in its capabilities.
“Officers can then take that information and color-code it. Something that’s on the controlled substances list shows up as a red screen; something that’s maybe not on the controlled substances list but should be a concern shows up as green screen with a chemical name itself,” says Johnson. When a sample comes back showing a mixture of a bath salt that’s 95-percent MDPV, it will read “MDPV.” But if the mix includes mephedrone and pyrovalerone (not to be confused with the delicious sandwich cheese) it will indicate the combination.
“First and foremost, what we like about it, is it is safe.” Detective Brian Coen of the Quincy (Mass.) Police Department Drug Control Unit has been privy to TruNarc for 18 months of beta testing before its official launch in February this year. “With this device we don’t have to be exposed to most substances.”
Ever had a bag of white powder thrown at you while a fellow officer asks, “What’s this?” With TruNarc there’s no need to wonder what sorts of particles are hitchhiking their way home to the family.
Report results are time and date stamped and saved on the system. At the end of a shift officers can download the data onto a software program and print off reports. Documentation like this is a boon to both law enforcement and experts in court.
“It’s a pretty exciting time to be using a device like this,” says Coen. The community of Quincy has particular struggles with opium addiction—namely oxycodone—which often leads to heroin addiction. Since his department has been using TruNarc (the PD has three), Coen says they’ve had zero false positives.
The product and its possibilities hits close to home for Coen. In 2009’s Melendez-Diaz vs. Massachusetts case the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it a violation of the Sixth Amendment for a prosecutor to submit a chemical drug test report without the testimony of a person who physically performed the test. Coen hopes TruNarc’s Raman Spectroscopy technology can help nudge them over that hurdle.
“I know I’m putting the cart before the horse, but we’re hoping for a confirmatory down the road;” says Coen. “I really believe that this has the potential to get us there.”
http://www.officer.com/article/10733397/pinning-down-a-deadly-recipe?page=2
A slippery substance
While lawmakers are hard at work banning the salts, it’s not an easy job. Instead states are tackling the problem one ingredient at a time, whack-a-mole-style, chasing down new recipes and chemicals as quickly as they pop up. Today anyone can go into a head shop and purchase Ivory Wave, Red Dove or Blue Silk. Since its shape is always shifting, users’ volatile and often violent symptoms often depend on which “cocktail” they used.“There’s very little that we actually know about how they interact on the brain,” says John Johnson, director of law enforcement programs at Thermo Scientific Portable Analytic Instruments. Johnson uses his background in biochemistry to build the right technology for specific applications in the field.
“What we do know,” says Johnson, “is mephedrone has been available in the UK for the many years, and seems to be the one most likely of causing an overdose.” He describes bath salts as “a combination of the worst of all drugs put together.” It’s difficult, then, for officers on the street to recognize someone using this substance specifically.
Street science
Agencies might not know they have a bath salt problem in their community simply because they can’t make these identifications. But now there’s a machine that does just that. Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments—the hazmat and bomb squad folks—recently launched a handheld laboratory analyzer that accurately tests liquid and solid samples for common narcotics. While it does not recognize organics like marijuana or mushrooms, TruNarc will identify substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and pharmaceuticals. The device uses Raman spectroscopy to develop a molecular fingerprint unique to each individual chemical. Spectroscopy has always been available in the lab setting, but now it’s literally on the street delivering easy-to-read results in seconds.TruNarc can identify the MDPV as well as numerous other chemicals common in bath salts. This is important, because not only can law enforcement search for and find these active ingredients tout de suite, officers can also detect trends in over-the-counter drugs and keep a watchful eye on emerging “ingredient” make-up. Even though the DEA recently added three bath salt substances to their list, TruNarc’s currently got nine (not all illegal) identified bath salts in its capabilities.
Test-ingestion not required
Once a sample is selected, TruNarc generates a report and lists each chemical by name. Johnson says it’s common now to see bath salts being mixed with things like Advil PM, methamphetamine and ecstasy.“Officers can then take that information and color-code it. Something that’s on the controlled substances list shows up as a red screen; something that’s maybe not on the controlled substances list but should be a concern shows up as green screen with a chemical name itself,” says Johnson. When a sample comes back showing a mixture of a bath salt that’s 95-percent MDPV, it will read “MDPV.” But if the mix includes mephedrone and pyrovalerone (not to be confused with the delicious sandwich cheese) it will indicate the combination.
“First and foremost, what we like about it, is it is safe.” Detective Brian Coen of the Quincy (Mass.) Police Department Drug Control Unit has been privy to TruNarc for 18 months of beta testing before its official launch in February this year. “With this device we don’t have to be exposed to most substances.”
Ever had a bag of white powder thrown at you while a fellow officer asks, “What’s this?” With TruNarc there’s no need to wonder what sorts of particles are hitchhiking their way home to the family.
Report results are time and date stamped and saved on the system. At the end of a shift officers can download the data onto a software program and print off reports. Documentation like this is a boon to both law enforcement and experts in court.
Say goodbye to the middle men
No more the days of handling a sample, schlepping it to the lab and awaiting results. Imagine a buy-bust operation where you can very quickly identify what a substance is. Cocaine? Bath salt? Benzacane? With this information, law enforcers and detectives can potentially save weeks, if not months, tangled up in an investigation.“It’s a pretty exciting time to be using a device like this,” says Coen. The community of Quincy has particular struggles with opium addiction—namely oxycodone—which often leads to heroin addiction. Since his department has been using TruNarc (the PD has three), Coen says they’ve had zero false positives.
The product and its possibilities hits close to home for Coen. In 2009’s Melendez-Diaz vs. Massachusetts case the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it a violation of the Sixth Amendment for a prosecutor to submit a chemical drug test report without the testimony of a person who physically performed the test. Coen hopes TruNarc’s Raman Spectroscopy technology can help nudge them over that hurdle.
“I know I’m putting the cart before the horse, but we’re hoping for a confirmatory down the road;” says Coen. “I really believe that this has the potential to get us there.”
Police want Quincy club event shut down after 'Molly' overdoses | South - WCVB Home
Police said they've responded to 12 overdoses at the Ocean Club in Marina Bay this summer. In the past three weeks, they said that 10 people were arrested and accused of selling selling "Molly," a name for the drug MDMA or Ecstasy.
"I think what it is, this venue out there hosts these rave-type parties with out of town DJs -- big DJs -- and it attracts the crowd that is prone to use 'Molly,'" said Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan.
Police said detectives have been using a handheld device to analyze drugs at the venue and said that they commonly find "Molly."
Officers will meet with management Thursday to try to cancel an event at the club later this month, citing a public safety concern.
Management at Marina Bay did not return a request for comment.
TruNarc™ Handheld Narcotics Analyzer
The global drug problem continues to increase, with trafficking of meth, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, and emerging threats like bath salts and spice, impacting communities worldwide. Identification of suspected narcotics is a critical challenge for law enforcement officials, who need quick information in the field to help keep drugs, and drug dealers, off the streets. With the Thermo Scientific™ TruNarc™ Handheld Narcotics Analyzer, narcotics officers, customs, border patrol, and other personnel can scan a sample for multiple narcotics in a single test to obtain clear, definitive results.
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