BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Department is field-testing a new rapid drug test that could be the future of investigating drivers suspected of being under the influence.
When BPD Sergeant Chance Koerner received an email from a company called Vanguard Laboratories seeking help with a new drug test able to detect the presence of drugs in in someone faster than the current product, the sergeant said it was a no-brainer to volunteer the department.
"This would be something good for our agency, and honestly for the entire law enforcement community. Obviously, it is something that hasn't been approved yet by the court. It's not something that could be used as evidence yet, but with my experience as a law enforcement officer working traffic for so many years, I see the potential of this," said Koerner.
Koerner says that as of right now, the drug test is just in a trial run, but he sees it as the future of drug testing.
"Blood testing, breath testing, all that at some point in time had to be, you know, vetted by our court process, so it's only a matter of time before this is going to become part of that," said Koerner.
The way the new drug test works is based on taking saliva samples from the subject being tested. After rinsing with mouthwash to prepare for sample collection, the subject would then hold a testing swab under their tongue.
Once the sample is collected, the swab goes into the testing tube. Results take 3 to 5 minutes to show.
Co-owner of Vanguard Laboratories Nathan Keele says the new drug test is revolutionary.
"It's a test that doesn't discriminate in any way and is able to detect something immediately on the spot, so they can have a just cause to be able to bring them in if they do come back positive," said Keele.
Keele adds that this test is not just a new tool for law enforcement, but for any situation where drug testing is required or wanted, and says Vanguard will continue to work with BPD to collect samples.
"As they collect the, they send them back to us, and we run them at the lab so that we can gather the data and eventually, hopefully, get into a court case so that e can prove why this is a valid test. Once it's accepted in court, then we know that people will be able to start using this," said Keele.
Sergeant Koerner says the traditional blood test will never go away even if the new drug test gets approved permanently, just because of the complications.
"It will never replace blood because there's times you can't get saliva. Just like you can't force people to blow into a machine and I can't force them to provide a blood sample. However, blood is something that we can write a search warrant for," explained Koerner.
