Suffolk police foundation's donation of drug analyzers to reduce exposure to dangerous substances, officials say

The Suffolk County Police Foundation on Wednesday donated five handheld drug analyzers to the police department, and authorities said the devices will prevent officers and residents from being exposed to fentanyl and other deadly substances.

The TruNarc devices use a laser that penetrates clear plastic bags or glass to identify over 500 substances within minutes, which means investigators do not have to open packages to identify illegal drugs in the field, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said at a news conference in Hauppauge, where he was joined by Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney, acting Police Commissioner Robert Waring and other officials.

The analyzers enable noncontact testing that will not only help avoid accidental exposure to dangerous drugs, but they will also prevent evidence from being tainted in the field, officials said. TruNarc will also help police and paramedics determine how to treat people suffering from overdoses, they said.

"This is something that is going to make Suffolk County a lot safer, and it is going to be a warning to those dealing in drugs," Romaine said. "We are going to find out what you are dealing, we are going to find out who you are."

The TruNarc devices are the first donation made by the Suffolk County Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2022, to provide support to the Suffolk County Police Department, according to Louis Tutone, the foundation’s chairman. Tutone said the five devices, paid for by private donations, cost about $150,000, or nearly $30,000 each.

Suffolk purchased two TruNarc analyzers in 2017, which means the devices will be available to investigators in all seven of the county’s police precincts, Waring said. Romaine said he would seek additional funding from the county legislature to purchase more of the devices, which he hopes will be distributed to ambulance crews and other first responders.

Fentanyl is a cheap and deadly synthetic opioid, officials said it is responsible for the majority of fatal overdoses on Long Island in recent years.

"It’s not a drug, it’s a poison, and a very small exposure to a very small amount of fentanyl will kill you," Tierney said. "It will kill you if you are a user, it will kill you if you are a first responder, it will kill you if you are a law-enforcement officer. Two milligrams of fentanyl can kill a grown human being. That is what a grain of rice weighs."

In January, Tierney’s office said, a Holbrook toddler died of a suspected drug overdose. The child’s parents, Wilkens Adonis and Daryllee Leibrock, were charged in April with manslaughter and drugs and weapons charges in connection to 13-month-old Joseph Adonis’ death. Adonis and Leibrock have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors said toxicology and DNA testing confirmed that the boy had ingested fentanyl, cocaine and heroin.

Waring said seven officers became ill after exposure to fentanyl in recent years. One was so ill that he missed two weeks of work.

Tutone said Romaine introduced a resolution to the county legislature to accept the donation from the Suffolk County Police Foundation. The lawmakers approved the resolution unanimously in August, Tutone said.

Tutone, a retired Suffolk cop and former officer in the Police Benevolent Association, said the devices should be available for use on the street almost immediately.

"They have to get the little county tag on them, and once that is done they will be rolling out," Tutone said.