At council’s Dec. 18 session, staff and prosecutors described the constraints in investigating fatal overdoses and prosecuting large narcotics cases.

A police representative explained the practical limits of overdose investigations: toxicology results may take months from the state lab, digital evidence is not always available at a scene, and identifying and proving who supplied drugs to an overdose victim is challenging. Police described regular narcotics collaborations with Texas DPS criminal investigations and federal partners for larger cases.

Kay Swan, chief of staff for the 143rd District Attorney’s Office (SEG 2530), said the DA’s office prosecutes many drug-related cases and leverages border-protection and federal grant funding for transnational cases. She confirmed that a state-level grant program (cited during the hearing) is available but that a local law-enforcement agency would need a council resolution if it wished to pursue some state grant applications that require municipal authorization.

Both police and the DA acknowledged state DPS lab backlogs (three to six months) and described options — including sending evidence to private labs at local cost — to shorten turnaround times in urgent cases. Speakers urged community cooperation with law enforcement for tips and confidential reporting.

Council asked for more regular, non-sensitive briefings on enforcement activity and for staff to explore options to get faster lab results when necessary.