AS THE OPIOID CRISIS CONTINUES TO PLAGUE ORANGE COUNTY & OVERDOSES CONTINUE TO RISE EACH PASSING YEAR, WITH OVER 100 OPIOID DEATHS IN 2018, SCHUMER PUSHES FOR CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO AID ORANGE POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN QUICKLY & EFFECTIVELY IDENTIFYING LETHAL DRUGS LIKE FENTANYL; SENATOR SAYS CONGRESS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY PASS NEW BIPARTISAN GRANT PROGRAM TO HELP LOCAL PD’S PAY FOR HIGH-TECH TOOL

With Opioid Deaths Steadily Rising In Orange, Senator Launches Push To Pass “POWER Act” Grant Program To Help Local Police Pay For High-Tech Chemical Detection Tool To Sniff Out Illegal Drugs Like Fentanyl

According To Drug Enforcement Experts, It Only Takes A Small Amount Of Fentanyl To Cause A Deadly Reaction; Senator Says Congress Must Do Everything Possible To Keep The Public And Police Safe

Schumer: Deploying New Tech Across The Hudson Valley Could Be A Game-Changer To Keep Police Officers Safe & Protect From Lethal Fentanyl ODs

Standing at the Village of Goshen Police Department, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today renewed his push to pass the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act. According to Schumer, the bipartisan bill, set to be reintroduced by Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH), creates a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that will help state and local law enforcement secure new high-tech, portable screening devices to quickly, effectively, and safely identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl, in the field. Schumer explained that the opioid crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck and an all-of-the-above approach, especially in Orange County, which holds a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) designation and experienced over 100 opioid overdose deaths in 2018, with fentanyl playing a role in about 20% of those cases. Senator Schumer detailed how the POWER Act will give law enforcement the tools they need to address this deadly drug on the ground level.

“It’s no secret that the opioid epidemic has ravaged communities in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan Counties and throughout the Hudson Valley. As opioid related deaths continue to rise in Orange County, it’s clearer than ever that the opioid epidemic not only rips families apart, it also puts our law enforcement officials at risk by exposing them to illegal and fatal substances such as fentanyl,” said Senator Schumer. “And it’s up to us, to do everything within our power, on a federal level, to protect the men and women who bravely put themselves in harm’s way every single day in order to protect us and to ensure the public safety of our communities by providing them with the proper resources to do their job. This bill and these screening devices will help keep law enforcement safe and allow them to work more efficiently while on the front lines fighting the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities.” 

Schumer said the opioid epidemic has plagued Orange, Ulster and Sullivan Counties in recent years. Schumer explained that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, has quickly swept into the Mid-Hudson Valley and surrounding areas, exacerbating the opioid epidemic that is already devastating families in Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan Counties. In 2017, according to most recent New York State Department of Health statistics, Orange County had 196 outpatient emergency department visits related to opioid overdoses and 78 fatal drug overdoses. Additionally, in 2017, 1,701 people from Orange County were admitted into chemical dependency programs and 427 people were administered Naloxone. Schumer explained that these overdoses are from both heroin, and heroin combined with fentanyl or fentanyl analogs, a lethal combination of drugs referred to as “Gray Death.” 

Although pharmaceutical fentanyl can be misused, most of the fentanyl being sold on the street is illicitly manufactured. While distributors in China are the principal source of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture the drug, as well as a source for finished-product illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, Mexico is the primary source of illicit fentanyl smuggled into the United States. Fentanyl suppliers then use methods such as mislabeling shipments or concealing the drug inside legitimate goods in order to avoid law enforcement detection. Through July of 2018, U.S. Border Patrol seized nearly 340 pounds of fentanyl, almost double the 181 pounds of fentanyl that was seized in all of 2017. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between June 2017 and June 2018, a record 31,500 people in the United States died from synthetic opioid overdoses, excluding methadone. The labs that make these synthetic opioids take advantage of law enforcement officials’ limited capabilities to detect fentanyl. Schumer added the drug is extremely lucrative for dealers and cartels, who can sell $3,000 to $5,000 in fentanyl purchased from a Chinese drug laboratory for up to $1.5 million on the street. 

Schumer was joined by Mayor Michael Nuzzolese, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, Orange County Deputy County Executive Harry Porr, Police Chief Jim Watt, Ulster County Executive Adele Reiter, Ulster Sheriff Juan Figueroa and local law enforcement officers.

“The opioid crisis continues to claim far too many lives.  The Illicit drugs now being trafficked, particularly synthetic ones such as fentanyl, are increasing potent and far too often lethal. Those purchasing these substances, and the law enforcement officers who are forced to handle them, frequently do not know what drug they are actually dealing with.  I applaud all efforts to obtain for law enforcement the equipment necessary to quickly, and safely, determine what illicit substance they are handling,” said David Hoovler, Orange County District Attorney.

“The village of Goshen is not exempt from the fentanyl drug crisis. This tool will certainly help protect our police and citizens,” said Michael Nuzzolese, Mayor of Goshen.

“The opioid epidemic has reached everywhere, even small communities like Goshen.  Our police officers encounter illegal drugs every day and are at risk of being exposed to deadly drugs like Fentanyl. The high cost of drug detection technology places it out of reach of smaller departments.  The POWER Act will provide funding to deliver this potentially life-saving equipment to agencies like ours. This high-tech equipment will aid in the investigation and prosecution of drug crimes.  Most importantly, this equipment will readily identify lethal drugs and protect the public, police officers and our K-9 assets from exposure. We thank Senator Schumer for promoting the POWER Act and his continuing efforts to provide funding and support to local law enforcement,” said James Watt, Village of Goshen Police Chief.  

“In today’s opioid epidemic the men and woman of law enforcement are dealing with the drug threat analysis, like they have in the past with masks and gloves. A large percentage of heroin today is mixed with fentanyl. This deadly toxic mix is a threat to our first responders, it is our responsibility to keep the members of law enforcement safe so that they can protect our communities. Screening devices would have a major impact in the safety of all first responders,” said Juan Figueroa, Ulster County Sheriff.

To address these challenges, Senator Schumer will be joining Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Rob Portman (R-OH), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to reintroduce the bipartisan POWER ACT to ensure that law enforcement agencies have the tools to identify illicit drugs and prevent them from coming across the border. Schumer, who has a history of working to get law enforcement the resources and equipment necessary to keep our communities safe, announced his support for the bi-partisan legislation.

Specifically, the Schumer backed POWER Act would authorize $20 million to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to create a new grant program to help state and local law enforcement organizations secure high-tech, portable screening devices – also known as interdiction devices -  in order to better detect illicit fentanyl and protect field officers from exposure. The devices can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000 per unit, which makes them cost-prohibitive for local law enforcement agencies relying on already tight municipal budgets.

Federal law enforcement officials have already deployed this drug scanning equipment to screen contraband smuggled into the United States at the border or through the mail. For example, when border officials encounter a suspicious substance, it can be difficult to detect the source of the illicit material and whether it poses a hazard to them. In the face of this challenge, federal law enforcement agencies at U.S. ports of entry have had success with screening and determining illicit drugs, like fentanyl, with the help of these high-tech, handheld chemical screening devices. The POWER Act ensures that local law enforcement in communities in the Hudson Valley and beyond can also afford to obtain this same technology and portable chemical screening devices, in order to better interpret tests gathered from the field, and minimize agent’s exposure to dangerous substances.

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