Commissioners approve grant application request from Sheriff's Dept.

Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 2:30 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

As a better way to protect against drugged driving or driving under the influence of drugs, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department asked the County Commissioners for approval to apply for the SoToxa Oral Fluid Analyzer Device Grant.

The device is similar to a portable breath test but the officer swabs the inside of the suspect's cheek and then places the swab in the device for drug detection.

The SoToxa™ Oral Fluid Mobile Test System is a handheld analyzer that provides the optimal combination of speed, ease of use, reliability, and accuracy for drug testing at the roadside. The analyzer has been designed to meet the high-performance demands of law enforcement and can detect up to 6 drug classes within 5 minutes from a single oral fluid collection sample.

1st Sergeant Nick Laffoon from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department stated that the test is presumptive and not certified; however, it is an additional tool for law enforcement.

This grant provided by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) is not monetary, it is strictly for the devices. The Plymouth Police Department has four devices and two will transfer to the Sheriff’s Department with this agreement.

Lafoon said the training on the SoToxa will be done in-house and currently ICJI supplies the replacement cartridges.

The Commissioners approved 1^st Sergeant Laffoon’s grant request. They also approved Sheriff Hassel’s request to apply for the Comprehensive Highway Injury Reduction Program (CHIRP) Grant through the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

The Sheriff explained that this grant was initially known as Operation Pull Over and then changed to the DUI Task Force. He said it’s the same grant the county has applied for over many years.

Sheriff Hassel told the commissioners there is no set amount for the grant, it depends on how many applications there are for the funds allocated to the program.

The commissioners approved his request.