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Plymouth Police to buy Apex 7 detection device with $39,900 opioid-settlement funds
Summary
Select Board approved acceptance of $39,900 from Grafton County opioid settlement funds to purchase an Apex 7 handheld detection device the department says matches DEA equipment and will reduce risky handling of suspected fentanyl.
The Plymouth Select Board voted to accept $39,900 in unanticipated funds from the Grafton County opioid settlement to buy an Apex 7 handheld drug-detection device for the police department.
Deputy Chief Buffington introduced the request during a public hearing and described the device as a noninvasive scanner that can identify substances through bags or containers. "It's kind of like you see on TV. It's a laser. It shoots through the bag, through the container," the deputy chief said, describing how the device reduces the need for officers to open packages containing unknown substances.
Buffington said the device can identify narcotics, explosives and precursors, noted that the machine is used by the DEA and said the county check matched the device price. "That's the exact price. Yep. Dollars 39,900," he said when asked whether the funds matched the cost.
The deputy chief said the department will likely house the unit at the station or with a supervisor rather than leave it in a patrol cruiser and emphasized officer safety and faster probable cause determinations as benefits. He explained the equipment is a screening and field-identification tool; samples must still be sent to the state lab for court evidence but officers can now make arrests on-scene when the device indicates an illegal substance.
Following public comment and questions about life cycle and storage, a board member moved to accept the funds and the board approved the expenditure and acceptance of the grant. The transcript records the board's vote in favor.
