Glocester council okays police K-9 vehicle paid from restricted opioid funds; handheld analyzer delayed

The Glocester Town Council on Dec. 18 authorized the use of restricted opioid settlement funds to buy a 2024 Chevy Silverado for the town’s narcotics K‑9 handler and related K‑9 account, approving the $49,598.35 expenditure by voice vote.

Council discussion centered on a memorandum drafted to document permissible uses of opioid settlement funds. An unidentified council member who worked with the police chief said he and the chief had drafted “a revised memorandum that supports the use of opioid funds for these purposes,” adding the memorandum would be finalized and dated that evening. “So basically, it's allowing opioid funds to be used for this purpose,” the speaker said.

The meeting also considered a proposed $37,000 TrueNarc handheld narcotics analyzer. Police staff described the device as a field-capable analyzer that can test substances through sealed packaging to reduce exposure risk. The council discussed the device’s capabilities and safety benefits, but one member requested the item be taken up after the council’s executive session. A motion to move agenda item 6b (the TrueNarc purchase) until after executive session carried by voice vote, leaving the analyzer purchase pending.

The council’s motions and votes were procedural voice votes with no roll-call tallies provided in the transcript. The authorization for the vehicle explicitly used restricted opioid funds rather than the town’s general fund, according to the presenting council member.

Next steps: the memorandum documenting allowed opioid‑fund uses will be finalized and dated; the TrueNarc analyzer purchase will be revisited after the executive session.