DA WANTS DRUG-TESTING MACHINE

NarTest Can Determine Drugs' Authenticity In A Matter Of
Minutes

NEWTON - A piece of technology could change how long it takes drug
cases to go to trial. District Attorney Jay Gaither is working to get
the technology in Catawba County.

NarTest determines the authenticity of four drugs: Methamphetamine,
cocaine, marijuana and heroin. The determination is used as evidence
in a case. It takes the machine about 10 to 15 minutes to match the
"fingerprint" of one of those four drugs, said Douglas Branch,
marketing director for NarTest Technologies.

Currently, drugs are sent to the State Bureau of Investigation's lab
for testing. It can take at least a year to get evidence back. That's
how long a suspect sits in jail (at approximately $55 a day to
taxpayers) or is back on the streets, typically getting into more trouble.

"The time that it takes from arrest to conviction in drug cases is far
too long due to the fact that we are waiting on lab results on the
drugs," Gaither said. "This technology will give my office the ability
to move much more quickly. This means less money spent on inmates
waiting in our local jail and less time for drug dealers who are out
on bond to spend out on our streets." NarTest was demonstrated to law
enforcement and district attorney officials last Friday. Local police
chiefs and sheriffs will make the determination if they want to test
NarTest. For a trial period, technicians will test at least 25 old
samples on the machine. The statistics will be turned over to NarTest
Technologies in Morrisville.

After the required 25 samples, the equipment can be used free of
charge for actual cases for a certain period of time. If the equipment
is getting convictions faster - and if commissioners approve the
purchase - the system can be purchased at retail for $48,000.

Gaither is working with state Sen. Austin Allran to propose a bill
that would help fund the program.

"We know this is making a difference," Branch said. "Departments in
the state already utilizing this technology are seeing at least a 10
percent reduction in the number of cases submitted to the state lab."
>From Jan. 1, 2006, to April 2, 2007, Hickory police arrested 293
people on drug charges. An additional 450 citations were issued to
people for drug violations during the same time. Catawba County courts
saw 366 felony drug cases alone in 2006. So far this year, 121 felony
drug cases have appeared in Catawba County Superior Court. Felony drug
cases represent approximately 31 percent of the felony cases submitted
to the District Attorney's Office.