Fentanyl-laced drugs kill. Cops are giving addicts test kits, no questions asked.

The small box is clearly marked for drug users. Inside, zip-lock bags with tiny packages that test for fentanyl, the deadly opioid that could be laced in drugs they are about to snort or inject.

It’s a free kit available 24/7, and the place to get them might surprise you.

Drug users can get the fentanyl detection strips in the lobby of every West Orange police precinct, the latest program the department has started to deal with a nationwide problem.

“The WOPD is taking a very unorthodox and proactive approach,” said Chief James Abbott. “Allowing users to test drugs before using them has gained traction across the country as an inexpensive harm reduction tool.”

The boxes have been in the main police department and its two substations since Friday. So far, no one has used them, but Lt. Richard McDonald, who heads the department’s drug prevention programs, is hoping users start coming by as the words spreads.

“They can be safe and not find out the hard way,” McDonald said.

Last year, there were 3,118 drug deaths in the state, according to NJ Cares, a state website listing information and services for residents. Of that number, 390 deaths were in Essex County. And, from January through April of this year, 791 people have overdosed.

McDonald came across the fentanyl strips last November from other departments in Bay City, Michigan, Erie, Pennsylvania and Syracuse, New York. He then shared the idea with Essex County Opioid Task Force, a coalition of law enforcement, people in recovery, community members and treatment providers.

“Essex County is one of the top three counties in New Jersey that have been highly affected by the overdoses, which are basically coming from fentanyl that’s laced in the drugs,” said Robin Lavorato, task force coordinator.

She believes the strips can prevent overdoses and save lives. “We can’t lose these people,” she said.

Should drug users take the package, they don’t have to worry about getting asked questions from cops. They can come in and get a strip at any time.

No one is there to judge them.

“It’s a whole different approach to the drug problem,” McDonald said. “We’d much rather people take them and use them, hopefully to get success out of them.”

This initiative is another program the department has to combat the crisis. Two years ago, it started Operation Hope, which trains civilian volunteers to be therapy coaches that talk to drug users and help them get placed in detox or rehabilitation facilities. The volunteers are available 24 hours a day. They’re contacted by police officers, who meet drug users ready to get help.

Since its inception, the program has placed 50 people in rehab, a figure McDonald said is impressive.

“We’re pretty stoked about it,” he said. “Any person we can help, that’s what we’re doing.”

Police officers also carry Narcan – the substance that temporarily reverses an overdose. In three years, they’ve used it 50 to 60 times.

Steps away from the box of fentanyl strips, West Orange police have set up a container for anyone to discard unused and unwanted controlled substances. It looks more like a mailbox.

Drug users can drop off that part of their lives in there, too.

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Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip?Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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