Fentanyl and Officer Safety

Submitted by: IACP Board of Directors

WHEREAS, fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance as set forth in the Controlled Substances Act; and

WHEREAS, fentanyl and fentanyl analogs approximately 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine and roughly 40 to 50 times more potent than pharmaceutical grade (100% pure) heroin and exposure to even minimal amounts (approximately 2 milligrams) of Fentanyl can endanger the health and safety of law enforcement officers and their K-9 companions as well as other first responders; and,

WHEREAS, fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are sometimes mixed with other prescription medicines as well as with illicit white powder narcotics, typically heroin but also cocaine to increase their euphoric affects; and

WHEREAS, fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are also being pressed into pill form to resemble other pharmaceutical pills such as oxycodone, Xanax, Norco, and other similar pills. It is visually indistinguishable from other white powder; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement has confirmed that fentanyl and fentanyl analogs have been found in counterfeit prescription opioid medications and anti-anxiety medicines with deadly results; and

WHEREAS, the abuse of prescription opioid drugs and heroin addiction have had a devastating effect on communities across the globe; and

WHEREAS, the IACP is concerned about the safety of public health workers, first responders, and law enforcement personnel who may unwittingly come into contact with illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogs; and

WHEREAS, the IACP is concerned about the overburdening of law enforcement resources already stretched thin by the most significant prescription drug abuse epidemic in our nation's history; and

WHEREAS, the IACP is concerned about the diversion of investigatory and prosecutorial law enforcement resources required to investigate and prosecute even more toxic fentanyl exposure cases; and

RESOLVED, that the IACP calls on all nations to enact provisions designed to stop the spread the production, trafficking, sale and distribution of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogs and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP strongly supports proposals that enhance law enforcement’s ability to combat opioid diversion, trafficking and abuse and provide the resources necessary to protect the health and safety of law enforcement and other public safety personnel as they work to protect their communities from the dangers of fentanyl and be it  

FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution supports, affirms and aligns, and supersedes prior IACP resolutions on the Dangers of Counterfeit and Diverted Fentanyl to Law Enforcement Personnel, the resulting increased safety requirements and the demand on law enforcement resources, including NDDC.22.T16, 1 NDDC.015.T14, NDDC.013.t2017,  NDDC.017.T14 and NDDC.20.T16