The Plano Police Department has the ability to test certain types of substances to ascertain their possible narcotic content. Although marijuana and certain types of liquids can be tested (hashish oil for example) the tests are primarily used for powdery substances. The testing is done through the Crime Prevention Unit.

Upon receiving an unknown substance from a citizen, the citizen is given an assigned number and told to call Crime Prevention the following day. This allows time for CPU to test the substance and gain the results, if any. The substance is then photographed, logged into the Anonymous Drug Test book and then tested for content. If a test comes back positive (for instance “cocaine”), the word “cocaine” is entered into the test book. If nothing is found to be positive in the substance, the word “inconclusive” is logged into the book. At any rate when the citizen calls the following day, the results are given to them.

Many times during the testing process, the entire amount of the substance is used up in the testing process. In other times, some of the suspect material may be left over after as test. If any of a suspected drug or narcotic is left over after the testing has been completed, the material is given over to the Property Unit to be destroyed.