Haralson County approves $31,458 crisis‑response drug analyzer from opioid settlement funds

Haralson County commissioners voted to buy a handheld spectrum analyzer for the county’s Crisis Response Team at the meeting, approving the $31,458.70 purchase to be paid from the county’s opioid settlement fund.

The demonstration and discussion began during the work session, when Ty of the Crisis Response Team showed commissioners a field instrument he said can identify drug compounds without officers handling suspect material. "And the cost of the machine is $31,458.70," the presenter told the board. He and other team members argued the analyzer would replace frequent purchases of $800 mobile test kits and produce significant savings and quicker on‑scene results.

Supporters said the unit reduces risks to officers and first responders by identifying potentially fentanyl‑laced substances without opening bags or containers. Ty said the device runs on laser spectroscopy, stores results and GPS data, and includes a compound library sourced from federal databases. Ty also told commissioners the instrument is already in use regionally and that trained supervisors would be the only users in Haralson County.

Commissioners questioned warranty, maintenance and update costs. The presenter said there is no annual fee for basic operation, though library updates or recalibration could incur charges and that recalibration has not been required in local deployments for more than two years. He estimated recalibration or library‑update work could cost in the range of $1,200–$1,500.

The chairman placed the item on the regular meeting agenda as item 11 for a formal vote. At the regular meeting, the board made and seconded a motion to approve the purchase and the motion carried by voice/hand vote. The board’s approval instructs staff to complete procurement and assign the instrument to the sheriff’s office; staff said only trained, designated supervisors would operate the unit.

Next steps: staff will finalize purchase paperwork and arrange training for designated deputies and Crisis Response Team personnel. The board did not provide a line‑item budget amendment in the meeting minutes beyond the stated opioid settlement funding source.