Police in Allen County and around the country are growing more cautious when handling drugs during traffic stops or arrests as fears rise about exposure to opioids that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled.
Even a minute amount of the most potent drugs, such as fentanyl, can cause violent illness or death.
“You just don't know,” said Ron Galaviz, a spokesman in Fort Wayne for the Indiana State Police. “You dare not put your hands on anything.”
Officers who find suspected drugs during a traffic stop or an arrest usually pause to perform a simple task: They place some of the material in a vial filled with liquid. If the liquid turns a certain color, it's supposed to confirm the presence of cocaine, heroin or other narcotics.
Chemical field tests have been standard procedure for several decades, with officers across the country using them every day. Prosecutors rely on the results to jail suspects and file criminal charges.
But some large law enforcement agencies have recently abandoned the routine tests out of concern that officers could be exposed to opioids. Police are instead sending suspected drugs to crime laboratories, which have quickly become overburdened, delaying many cases.
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