WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today joined Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to introduce the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act. The bipartisan legislation would help state and local law enforcement obtain screening equipment to quickly detect dangerous drugs—like the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl—so that they can investigate appropriately.
The 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 bill gives law enforcement officers access to the same high-tech screening devices Senators Capito, Markey, Brown, and Rubio secured for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in their INTERDICT Act. President Trump signed the INTERDICT Act into law earlier this year.
“As the opioid epidemic continues to harm communities in West Virginia, the POWER Act will help detect and stop the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids,” Senator Capito said. “This legislation will support our local law enforcement—who are often times at the front lines fighting this epidemic—by providing them with the tools necessary to keep these deadly drugs out of our communities. I will continue working with my colleagues to advance solutions like the POWER Act, which will go a long way in saving lives and curbing the drug crisis.”
These devices are already widely used by federal law enforcement to identify dangerous drugs at U.S. ports of entry. They use laser technology to analyze potentially harmful substances—even through some packaging—and identify those substances based on a library of thousands of compounds that are categorized within the device.
The devices could also help address the backlog of drugs awaiting laboratory identification, which will allow law enforcement to more effectively conduct drug investigations and prosecutions. Without these devices, suspected drugs have to be sent to labs for testing—which can take months in some cases—delaying the justice system. 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.
The POWER Act is supported by the National Sheriffs’ Association, Fraternal Order of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Association of Police Organizations, National HIDTA Directors Association, Sergeants Benevolent Association, International Union of Police Associations, National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, National Alliance of State Drug Enforcement Agencies, National Tactical Officers Association, Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association, and Ohio Fraternal Order of Police.
More information on the bill is available here.
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