U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer launched his push to pass the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources (POWER) Act as part of an upcoming package of bills to address the opioid crisis across Upstate New York and the United States.
Schumer stopped in at the Holley Police Department on Friday afternoon to announce the upcoming anti-opioids package to law enforcement officials
According to Schumer, the bipartisan bill, originally introduced by Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH), creates a new grant program through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that will help state and local law enforcement secure new high-tech, portable screening devices to quickly, effectively, and safely identify dangerous drugs like fentanyl in the field.
Schumer says that the opioid crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck and an all-of-the-above approach, and that the POWER Act will give law enforcement the tools they need to address it on the ground level.