Drug Identification

Course Description:

Drug Identification is a critical tool that every law enforcement officer should know. Unfortunately, almost no police department in the nation provides a course-specific training in their academies for this pertinent investigative tool. This information is not just for the seasoned Detective or senior officer, but also for the new officer who has just begun their career. The ability to immediately recognize narcotics, their paraphernalia, cutting agents, and physiological effects in any situation allows the officer to conduct a thorough investigation and have success in arresting drug violators and seizing large quantities of drugs, firearms, and U.S. currency.

This two-day training course will provide an in-depth look at the most common narcotics currently found on the street, the contraband associated with them, and the physiological and psychological effects. Numerous sample pictures of the narcotics, videos of physiological effects, and procedures on how to properly conduct presumptive field tests will be presented to officers. Officers will participate in case studies where officers were fired and/or arrested for narcotics based scandals due to a lack of policies and procedures regarding presumptive field-testing or evidence handling.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: