Fentanyl Safety Kits could help keep police safe in Polk | Georgia News

With every traffic stop and house visit, police officers and public safety officials run the risk of interacting with Fentanyl. The synthetic opioid is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, and while typically prescribed to ease the pain of cancer patients, it has seen increased illegal street presence from recreational users over the years.

The drug is distributed in various forms such as lozenges, sprays, patches, and powders, but regardless of the medium, officers run the risk of absorbing the product through their skin.

The Polk County Board of Commissioners, wary of the officers’ safety, welcomed a delegation from Gordy Powell of Georgia Clean who showcased safety kits specifically designed to combat the opioid.

“I went to a Fentanyl seminar in Cincinnati back in November, and what we learned is that Fentanyl will leach through a nitrile glove in 10 minutes,” Powell said. “So, we took a bigger step and put together what’s called our fentanyl safety kit. It’s used in meth labs and fentanyl labs.”

The county would have to purchase each kit for $216, but inside is a complete protection suit, multiple sets of gloves, goggles, respirators, and much more. Each suit would also be specifically tailored to the officer receiving it, and Georgia Clean would handle disposal of spent kits.

“Once it’s opened, you get a card that instructs the user on how to don the safety equipment,” Powell explained while opening a kit. “You’ve got multiple layers of gloves, you’ve got pig-skin boots, you’ve got sealed safety goggles, and everything in this kit is designed to keep public safety officers safe at all times.”

While dealing with drugs such as Fentanyl is typically reserved for the drug task force, the kits would serve more as a precautionary tool for when the officers have no choice but to act around the substance. With a two-year shelf life, the kits can remain in the police cars until needed.

“Most of the accidental touchings (of Fentanyl) from law enforcement happens on traffic stops when they’re not aware it’s there,” Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd said. “We would encourage them to use the gloves then.”

The delegation was held during the county’s April 8 work session, so no official voting was done. Further discussion will take place during public safety committees, with input from the officers themselves being heavily considered.

“I don’t know that either our sheriff or police chief have seen this kit,” Commissioner Chuck Thaxton said. “It would be my suggestion that we get this gentleman to talk with them and maybe drug task force, and then they can bring us something back in Public Safety about what they think of the kit. Because none of us are gonna wear it.”

According to Dodd, the police are currently equipped with gloves to help deal with the substance but not much else. Whether the kits are purchased or not will be based on whether they feel they need them and whether funds are available in the county’s Public Safety budget to cover the costs.

“We have a kit in the car, but it’s made for CPR. They would have a mask like that and the gloves, but they don’t have anything else to protect them from Fentanyl,” Dodd said.