The Redmond (Wash.) Police Department is deploying a new tool in its fight against illicit drugs.
The agency announced Tuesday that it’s using a handheld narcotics analyzer called TruNarc that can scan through transparent packaging and identify the chemical composition of more than 530 controlled substances, such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin.
TruNarc uses technology called Raman spectroscopy, in which a laser light beam interacts with the chemical bonds of a material. The device allows officers to quickly identify drugs without disturbing packaging, contaminating evidence or being exposed to harmful substances.
The analyzer captures all scan results, including time and date stamps, and can be updated to identify emerging drug threats, according to Redmond PD.
TruNarc, which debuted in 2012, is made by Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Scientific. Redmond PD paid around $31,000 for the system, with funds from Washington state’s settlement with three companies found to have played key roles in fueling the opioid epidemic.
The department is one of 46 agencies in the state to implement the device. The Shoreline Police Department added the technology last year, and Snohomish County agencies increased access to TruNarc in 2019.
The Seattle Police Department does not currently use TruNarc, but after a 2023 grant review, the device was selected for funding and SPD will receive two devices later this year, according to a public affairs officer.
The deadly fentanyl epidemic in the U.S. has government and law enforcement agencies seeking a number of solutions to detect and combat illicit materials and usage.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., won Innovation of the Year honors at the 2020 GeekWire Awards for its technology to quickly detect explosive vapors, deadly chemicals and illicit drugs. VaporID was proven effective at identifying drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. PNNL offered a detailed report on fentanyl analogs in which it mentioned how tools such as TruNarc are being used for drug detection and how VaporID may join that effort.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime issued guidelines on handheld Raman spectrometers in which it said the devices cannot be used to analyze drugs that are dark-colored, or dyed in such a way that they fluoresce, and that the devices should only be used as a preliminary screening tool.
The Seattle Times reported last year on fentanyl detectors being installed in some King County buses and trains to determine how drug smoke is moving through the air in such places.
Law enforcement agencies in the Seattle area and across the country are also studying and deploying various technologies to detect everything from concealed weapons to gunshots.
Bellevue, Wash.-based startup Lassen Peak raised $6 million in December for its handheld device which uses terahertz frequency imaging radar to allow officers and others to avoid dangerous pat-down searches for weapons.
The City of Seattle and Mayor Bruce Harrell are considering a gunfire detection system to help fight crime.
