Peninsula Cops Likely Save Man’s Life After Opioid Overdose

SAN MATEO, CA — Officers likely saved a man’s life after administering a medication used to counter the effects of opioids earlier this week, the San Mateo Police Department said.

Police responded just before midnight on Sunday to the 100 block of 24th Avenue on a report of a male not breathing. Officers arrived within 60 seconds of the dispatch and quickly located an unconscious male with labored breathing, police said.

Acting on their training, officers recognized this to be a possible overdose and administered NARCAN, police said. The man needed three doses of NARCAN before officers could successfully revive him. He was transported by paramedics to a local hospital for treatment.

The SMPD said its officers are trained to detect an opioid emergency and carry NARCAN, a nasal spray designed to counteract the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose.

“Police are often the first emergency responders to arrive on scene, and tools like NARCAN allow our officers to administer lifesaving efforts before trained medical personnel arrive,” the SMPD said in a statement.

The SMPD is asking the anyone who knows someone suffering from substance abuse to contact its partners at Star Vista San Mateo County, which can be reached at a 24/7 crisis hotline at (650) 579-0350 or online here.