JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Thursday announced it discovered during a drug investigation that the field-testing kits it uses to test for cocaine were indicating false positives.
The agency said on Wednesday that a narcotics detective discovered that multiple over-the-counter substances were indicating false positives while using the Scott Company Presumptive Field-Testing Kits for Cocaine.
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Once JSO leadership was notified, it mandated that all officers stop using those kits immediately.
JSO has notified the State Attorney’s Office about the discovery and said it has used the testing kits for more than a decade with no indication of any issues with it.
JSO said the kits were used as presumptive field tests not for evidence purposes at criminal trials.
The agency added that it uses other testing kits for other substances and it doesn’t see any issues with those.
JSO is working with local prosecutors to identify any pending cases that could be impacted.
News4JAX reached out to the State Attorney’s Office to find out more but did not get an immediate response.