Escalon council OKs application for roadside saliva drug-screening devices

The Escalon City Council authorized staff to apply for a cannabis tax fund grant to purchase three Cetoxa roadside saliva drug-screening devices to assist officers in identifying recent drug use during suspected impaired driving stops.

Police Chief (Police Chief) told the council the devices are preliminary salivary tests that can detect recent use of substances including THC, cocaine, barbiturates and methamphetamine. “My understanding it tests the saliva. So it's recent use. So it would only test for recent use. It wouldn't test for, long term use,” the Police Chief said. He said officers would still perform field sobriety testing and that results from the device would inform which charge was appropriate if impairment was suspected.

Chief said the Department requested grant funding to purchase three devices for a total of $18,195.51. He told the council the devices are “extremely expensive,” that vendor training would be provided if the grant is awarded, and that ongoing cartridge costs were estimated at roughly $685 per year (the Chief also said in discussion that replacement cartridge costs could be about $1,000 per year). The Chief said the devices would help officers distinguish between causes of impairment such as inner-ear problems or medication versus recent drug use.

A motion to authorize the police department to submit the application was made and seconded; the meeting record shows the motion carried.

Why it matters: The devices are intended to help officers identify recent drug use at the roadside so they can better determine appropriate charges and pursue follow-up chemical testing when warranted. The council approved seeking grant funding; the city will not purchase the equipment unless the grant award is received.

What’s next: Staff will submit the application to the cannabis tax fund grant program and will report back to council if the grant is awarded.