Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Law Enforcement on Frontlines of Drug War
Legislation to ensure that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and other federal law enforcement officers are properly equipped to fight the entry of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, was unveiled on Capitol Hill.
The Prevent Exposure to Narcotics and Toxins Act of 2022 (PREVENTS Act) was introduced by one of its sponsors, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
“CBP agents will gain another layer of protection and this is really, really important,” said Senator Brown on a Facebook Live Event.
Senator Brown says the act will allow agents to do their jobs safely and effectively as they work to intercept fentanyl and other illicit drugs, whether at the border, at the ports, in mailrooms or elsewhere. Over 10,460 pounds of fentanyl were seized last year alone and statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that a record 108,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in 2021, with 71,000 of those fentanyl-related deaths.
Fentanyl is uniquely dangerous for agents due to the threat of secondary exposure, which can happen by simply breathing it in, touching it, or contacting it through the nose, eyes, and mouth. The senator’s office pointed out that just 3 milligrams of fentanyl can kill an average-sized adult male, and a 2019 report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General found that “CBP officers handling fentanyl were at risk.”
The legislation directs CBP to “purchase containment devices, a critical tool in safely storing illicit narcotics, for all frontline border patrol agents and provide training for their effective use.” The containment devices not only serve to protect agents by shielding them from the harmful effects of fentanyl, but they’re also valuable tools for prosecutors, as they “securely store illicit substances for future forensic analysis.”
Senators worked with the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and other law enforcement groups in writing the legislation.
FLEOA President Larry Cosme joined Senator Brown on the Facebook Live Event.
“This legislation goes to protecting the men and women in the law enforcement community, and we truly appreciate your efforts on behalf of them,” said President Cosme.
The bill’s cosponsors are Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA).
The bill comes after Brown previously introduced the bipartisan, bicameral, Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act. That legislation would give grants to state and local law enforcement agencies so they can obtain “high-tech devices to detect and identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl.”