The University of Southern Maine and the Drug Enforcement Administration partner on cruiser decal to warn against fentanyl

The Drug Enforcement Administration's One Pill Can Kill fentanyl awareness campaign arrived on campus in the form of a decal on a Public Safety cruiser.

The Department of Public Safety at the University of Southern Maine (USM) has transformed one of its cruisers into a rolling billboard to educate the community about a dangerous drug and prevent overdoses.

A decal with the slogan One Pill Can Kill now graces the rear third of the SUV used by the department’s three campus safety officers. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) coined the slogan. One Pill Can Kill is a warning about the potential of fentanyl contamination in bootleg medication. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can kill in even small doses. As part of a multipronged strategy to raise awareness using digital and traditional communications outlets, the DEA covered all costs associated with the decal.

“The partnership with the University of Southern Maine and their willingness to apply decals on a campus cruiser in support of the campaign shows their continued commitment to the community and solidifies a partnership between the DEA and the University,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Stephen Belleau, DEA New England Field Division.

The project’s point person for USM Public Safety was Lt. Paul Cox. He worked with the staff at M & H Signs in Westbrook to design the decal using a list of DEA-approved graphics and fonts. M & H Signs then printed the decal and completed the application within two hours. The invoice of $1,400 went directly to the DEA for payment. With the return of students from winter break last week, the cruiser’s new look is poised to get more attention on USM’s campuses in Gorham, Portland, and Lewiston, along with all the roads in between.

“The general public thinks fentanyl is something you inject with a needle. They don’t realize that these pills are out there, and one of the leading causes of overdoses is counterfeit prescription pills,” Cox said. “We want people to realize, you don’t know what’s in that pill unless you get your pills from a pharmacy.”

USM Public Safety is the first law enforcement agency in Maine to feature the DEA campaign on a cruiser. That partnership is poised to grow. Gráinne Perkins, USM’s chief of police and vice president of public safety, is developing a community policing initiative to reinforce the One Pill Can Kill message. In collaboration with the DEA, she plans to set up tables on all three campuses where an attendant can provide visitors with more detailed information and resources. The dates and locations of the tabling events are still being finalized.