Zionsville police officers will soon be carrying Naloxone to help prevent deaths from heroin overdoses.
Naloxone, or Narcan, is a prescription drug that reverses the potentially lethal effects of pain-relieving narcotics, like heroin, according to the Drugsite Trust.
The Metropolitan Board of Police Commissioners decided to approve the policy equipping officers with Narcan due to the recent “tidal wave” of heroin overdoses in Indiana communities, Chief of Police Robert Knox said.
Knox said administering Narcan to victims of heroin overdose could buy them enough time to receive advanced medical treatment.
“Narcan can hopefully save these folks’ lives, and it’s certainly our responsibility to do everything we can to protect people and save them, even it’s from themselves,” Knox said. “That’s what we are here to do.”
Sharing heroin needles has also led to several disease outbreaks across the country and Indiana, Knox said, further encouraging the policy enforcement.
Witham Hospital in Lebanon has worked alongside Zionsville police by training officers how to use Narcan. Witham will also provide the drug to the police agencies, as well as a medical breathing bag to every patrol car. This will assist people who aren’t breathing during an overdose.
Narcan works like a nasal spray, Knox said, which squirts into the nostril and acts immediately.
Knox is unsure when Witham will start supplying the drug. The moment it arrives, each officer will carry one dose.
“We’re looking forward to getting it in our hands,” Knox said. “Hopefully [we]never have to use it, but [we’ll] be prepared if we ever do.”
