Milton Police Armed With Tool Used To Reverse Drug Overdoses

MILTON, GA -- The Milton Police Department is now equipped with a new tool designed to help decrease the number of deaths stemming from opioid-related overdoses.

Thanks to assistance from Georgia Overdose Prevention, a nonprofit organization consisting of parents, healthcare professionals and advocates who have lost a loved one to accidental drug overdose, Milton officers are carrying Narcan, a drug administered using a nasal injector, to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Accidental drug overdose is a nationwide epidemic that has been growing in recent years. In 2014, Georgia enacted House Bill 965, also known as the "911 Medical Amnesty Law," to help reduce the number of drug overdoses by granting limited immunity in cases where individuals are seeking medical help for an overdose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, opioid overdoses nationally have quadrupled since 2000 and Georgia has seen a significant increase in the number of drug overdose death rates over the last few years.

To combat this rising trend, the Milton Police Department secured special training for its officers on the deployment of Narcan. On-duty officers officially began carrying the drug in November.

"Our hope is that officers won't have to use it, but we want to ensure our public safety staff have all the available resources to assist a citizen in need and possibly save a life," said Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood.

Milton police officers are certified first responders and are often times the first to arrive on scene. When an individual is overdosing on an opioid, breathing can slow down considerably, resulting in difficulty waking them.

Narcan, an opioid antagonist, can be administered to individuals experiencing an overdose and works by blocking the effects of the opioids and possibly reversing the overdose.

"Those moments prior to EMS arrival can be the most critical to someone's survival in the case of an overdose," said Milton City Manager Steven Krokoff. "It can literally mean the difference between life and death."

Image via city of Milton