Field Testing Drug Evidence

The first way that a cop can make sure that a substance is illegal or dangerous is by performing a test or by just looking at it. This way, they can make sure that a crime actually happened. The main kind of test to tell if a substance is illegal or unsafe is by using a test that uses liquid to give back information. A “controlled substance” is a drug or something that’s very closely related to the drug, and meets all the normal guidelines for one.

A dangerous drug is basically just what the name tells you, if it’s not safe for you, it’s dangerous. There might be a situation where the test isn’t able to give a good result or any at all. If this happens, it should be marked “Inconclusive”. In pretty much all cases, the first “test” done on a drug should be what they can actually see and using their training to see if it’s worth it to test the drug with a more detailed testing kit, which they should usually have with them.

To make sure that all cops know enough about these kind of drug situations, they’ll get a certain amount of training on what to do. So, only cops that have gotten this training are allowed to do tests on drugs. It’s up to the supervisor to make sure that everybody knows how to test a drug. Training involves watching videos about the process, which are posted on the police department website.

There are two kinds of drug test kits allowed. The Nik and ODV tests. These test kits should be kept at the property room. Their supervisors need to make sure that there are always enough and that they order more when they start to run out.