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Got an ID: Where To Turn When You Need To Identify an Unknown Substance

NCJ Number
210170
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 32 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2005 Pages: 48,50,52,54,55
Author(s)
Pamela Mills-Senn
Date Published
May 2005
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article notes the increased difficulty police are having in identifying in the field the many drugs of abuse that may be found in a person's possession.
Abstract
The basic four illegal drugs--marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine--may be packaged and colored in various ways to prevent identification; and drugs of abuse such as PCP, GHB, and pharmaceuticals such as OxyContin may not be easily identified. The problem for field officers is that in routine stops they do not typically find large quantities of any substance or pills; and in the case of generic prescription drugs there are no readily observed markings to identify the drug. Field test kits are useful, but not every department can afford to outfit all its officers with the kits. As a cost-saving measure, suspected drugs can be confiscated and brought to the station for testing with a kit. If an arrest is made on other charges, any substance can be tested at the station while the suspect is being detained. If the person is not being arrested but the office is suspicious about substances found on him/her, he/she can be brought to the station and held while the police attempt to identify the substance. If the person is not arrested or taken to the station, substances can still be confiscated and tested at the station and a follow-up arrest made if the testing warrants it.