In the near future, I plan on introducing legislation that will require the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (“MPOETC”) to develop standards for the training and certification of police canine units to detect fentanyl. This will give law enforcement another tool to help combat the deadly fentanyl crisis that is devastating communities across our Commonwealth.

In 2023, one Pennsylvanian died from a drug overdose approximately every two hours. Of the 4,721 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2023, 82% were opioid-related and 76% involved fentanyl. Even with the recent changes to help combat the flow of fentanyl across our borders, more must be done to ensure fentanyl is taken off our streets. One new method that has been developed to help in this fight is the training of police canines to detect fentanyl. Previously police departments had avoided fentanyl training detection because of the risk of fentanyl expose to police canines and their handlers. But this thinking has shifted as police more frequently encounter fentanyl in the field and it has become ubiquitous for it be present in other drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

My legislation will require MPOETC to establish standards for training and certifying canine units to specifically detect fentanyl. In developing these standards, MPOETC must consult various experts that train canines to detect controlled substances and medical professionals and veterinarians who have expertise in developing protocols to minimize fentanyl exposure to canines and their handlers. Two states, Washington and Wyoming, have recently passed legislation allowing their police canines to be trained to detect fentanyl. Pennsylvania should join them to provide law enforcement with another mechanism to help protect all Pennsylvanians from this deadly drug.  

Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation.
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1533 (Apr 30, 2025): 53-2172(a)