By WENDY HOLDREN
The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Bipartisan legislation was introduced Wednesday to provide state and local law enforcement with high-tech devices to detect and identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl.
The Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act would establish a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure these high-tech, portable screening devices, the release said.
Without these devices, suspected drugs have to be sent to labs for testing, the release said, which can take months in some cases, delaying the justice system. And because the devices can quickly and effectively alert officers to dangerous substances in the field, they also help ensure officers can test and handle substances like fentanyl safely.
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