FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies in Flagler County have a new drug detection device aimed at keeping them safe and helping them catch criminals quickly.
The sheriff’s office told News 6 the machine is going to be a game changer.
“It can detect trace amounts of narcotics from any source,” said Chief David Williams.
Williams said with a normal field-testing unit, deputies would need a full sample of the drug to run a test, which would be difficult if there wasn’t enough of the substance left.
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“With the MX908, you simply swab the baggie with one of the swabs, then insert the swab into the device,” said Williams.
The machine tests the swab by heating the sample and turning it into a vapor form.
The sheriff’s office has one of the machines that deputies can call to a scene to use to test and its special units can take to major investigations.
Williams said it can even break down the different drugs in a bag, like if it’s cocaine laced with fentanyl, getting deputies scientifically accurate answers quicker to put criminals in handcuffs.
It can help in other scenarios too.
“This device can detect air vapors so it has the ability to detect explosive vapors or any other type of hazardous vapors,” said Williams.
In August of 2023, News 6 reported on a Flagler deputy who was exposed to a drug while testing on a scene and had a bad reaction.
“In the case with the MX908, we could have maybe just swabbed the top of that baggie without opening it and put it in here to determine if what was in here is what we think. So, in a case like that, it could have certainly helped him,” said Williams.
The machine was $100,000 but Williams said they got it through a grant, so no cost to taxpayers.
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