Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Forensic Technology topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
KBI seeks approval of Detectim Apex R7 Raman spectrometer as optional field test; lawmakers ask for validation data
Summary
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation asked to add the Detectim Apex R7 Raman spectrometer to its list of director-approved field tests. KBI said the handheld device can preliminarily identify relatively pure substances; lawmakers asked for the lab’s validation report and were told KBI can share findings with redactions if needed.
Patrick Presky, laboratory operations manager for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, asked the committee to add the Detectim Apex R7 Raman spectrometer to KR10-22-1, the KBI director’s list of approved field tests. He summarized the device and KBI’s internal validation: “The Apex R7 is a handheld detection device. It shines a laser beam onto a substance and based on the light that scatters off of that substance ... that gives what we call a spectrum.”
Key points and limits
KBI described the device as an optional tool for law enforcement to identify relatively pure controlled substances (methamphetamine and some cocaine types are often a good match); the lab’s evaluation found it can identify fentanyl standards but has limitations on heavily cut or complex matrices and cannot reliably identify THC in edibles or highly mixed samples. KBI validated the device in its lab and provided those results to the KBI director.
Committee requests
Representative Carmichael and Senator FDA pressed KBI for the in-house validation report and asked whether the report is public; KBI said the lab can share documentation but may need to redact case numbers and other sensitive details before release. Committee members also asked about vendor location and unit cost (KBI said about $27,000) and whether any Kansas agencies had requested the evaluation (KBI confirmed an external law-enforcement request initiated the process).
Operational context
KBI said the regulation would add the device as an additional director-approved option; the device would not be mandatory. Lawmakers asked KBI to provide the validation documentation and to clarify the operational limits of Raman technology in practice (fentanyl analogs and highly cut samples are more difficult). Committee members flagged public access to the lab’s validation report as necessary for oversight and later review.
Next steps
KBI will provide the validation documentation to the committee (redacting case identifiers as necessary) and will note which external agency requested the evaluation.
