Greenwich Officer Recognized For Life-Saving Actions

GREENWICH, CT — A Greenwich Police officer who had been on the beat for only a few months is being credited with saving a person’s life last month. Officer Allen Arrington responded to a medical call in central Greenwich on Oct. 6 and revived a resident who was suffering from an overdose. He recently received a letter of recognition from the department

Shortly after arriving, Arrington "quickly recognized the symptoms of a possible opioid overdose," police said in a Facebook post. He immediately administered two doses of Narcan to the patient and was able to successfully reverse the effects of the opioid, police said.

Lt. John Sulsarz said Arrington is a relatively new officer, having only been out on patrol for a few months prior to the incident.

"He gets there and sees the person is displaying the classic signs of an overdose," Slusarz said to Patch. "When you're overdosing on narcotics, the big concern is the shut down of your airway; your ability to breathe."

Slusarz said officers administer Narcan through the nose to block the patient's receptors from the drug.

"In a critical incident like this...we also have to assist [the patient] with breathing, monitor their vital signs and make sure they have a proper heart rhythm," Slusarz said. "Officer Arrington did a magnificent job, and it's a good thing to highlight."

According to Slusarz, the department partners with Greenwich Hospital and other agencies to ensure overdose patients receive all the help they require following such a traumatic incident.

"When we encounter somebody that has an overdose, we do everything we can in the moment to save their lives," Slusarz said. "Then we reach out to them and offer them some direction on where they can find some services [for help]."

He also said the department is "aggressively going after" the dealers and suppliers of the drugs.

"If we can reduce the supply," Slusarz said, "then there's less for people to overdose on."

The department urges residents who know someone in need of substance abuse treatment, or may be in need of it themselves, to call 1-800-563-4086.