Suspects try to avoid or delay jail by telling police they ingested narcotics. Even if there's no evidence they actually did it, they have to be taken to a hospital.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police say officers are being forced to spend hours in emergency rooms with people who claim to have swallowed drugs, even when there’s no evidence they actually did. Arrested suspects are using the claim as a tactic to avoid going to jail or delay booking, and the practice has become so common that police have a name for it — "dope swallowing."
"It's extremely frustrating," said Portland police officer Rob Brown.
One recent example involved the arrest of a woman who falsely claimed she swallowed fentanyl. On April 29, Portland police executed a search warrant after squatters had taken over a residential property in Northeast Portland.
During the hours-long sweep of the property, officers found a woman hiding under a mattress in a camper. As the woman was taken into custody, an officer explained that she had an outstanding warrant for her arrest. Suddenly, the woman claimed she swallowed fentanyl.
"I just swallowed a feny," she told police, in a conversation captured on body camera.
"How long ago did you swallow a feny?" the officer asked.
The woman had no answer. She'd been hiding for the past three hours and showed no sign of drug use. But despite her questionable claim, Portland police protocol required officers to treat the situation as a medical emergency.
An officer followed...
Kelley Wolf claimed she’s being treated poorly in her hometown amid her ongoing contentious divorce from her estranged husband, Scott Wolf. The “Real World” alum shared an Instagram post on Saturda...