K9 Handlers Prep to Save Police Pups From Opioid Overdoses

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — Police dogs are trained to sniff, but just one sniff can be deadly with increasingly potent artificial narcotics on the street. Because police canines face such a significant risk of exposure to extremely potent and highly dangerous synthetic opiods, a new program in Lake County is training their handlers to administer antidotes. The law enforcement training curriculum was created by a partnership between the office of Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim, TOPS Kennel in Grayslake and the Lake County Health Department, Nerheim announced Tuesday.

"The drugs that our law enforcement partners are coming into contact with are so dangerous that first-responders can overdose from accidental contact they may have." Nerheim said. "We want to make sure that our K9 officers are trained and equipped with naloxone so that they can save their K9 partners in the event that they encounter these poisons," said Nerheim.

Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is an antidote to opiates that can revive people (and animals) who have overdosed.

Four 90-minute training sessions have been scheduled this month at the Buffalo Grove police department for up to 25 K9 handlers at a time, according to Nerheim. They have been funded by funding seized from operations targeting illegal drugs and are offered free to law enforcement agencies. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Buffalo Grove — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

"Police canines dedicate their lives to protecting their handlers and the communities they serve," Police Canine Training Director at TOPS Kennels Paul Pomazal said. "It is our obligation to make their work environment as safe as possible."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the synthetic opioid pain reliever fentanyl is approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. It is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is generally prescribed in the form of patches or lozenges, but it can be diverted for misuse and abuse in the United States.

However, many recent cases of fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl. It is often sold on the black market, mixed with other drugs like heroin or made into pill form and sold as popular opiate prescription pain medication.

Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") released a video (below) alerting law enforcement officials about the lethal dangers of fentanyl to officers and their dogs.

"Fentanyl can kill our canine companions and partners just as easy as it can humans, so please take precautions for their safety," DEA Deputy Administor Jack Riley warned. Even a very small amount of fentanyl accidentally inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin can be deadly, he said in the video.

DEA fentanyl safety alert video:

Find below a full list of departments who have enrolled officers in Lake County's new Police K9 Opioid Overdose/Naloxone Administration Training for K9 Handlers:

• Amtrak Police
• Bannockburn Police Department
• Bartlett Police Department
• Buffalo Grove Police Department
• Chicago Police Department
• Des Plaines Police Department
• Dolton Police Department
• Drug Enforcement Administration
• Elk Grove Village Police Department
• Glen Ellyn Police Department
• Gurnee Police Department
• Hanover Park Police Department
• Kenosha Police Department
• Kenosha County Sheriff's Office
• Lake County Sheriff's Office
• Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group (LCMEG)
• Lake Villa Police Department
• Lockport Police Department
• McHenry County Police Department
• Mundelein Police Department
• North Chicago Police Department
• Ozaukee Sheriff's Office
• Richmond Police Department
• Romeoville Police Department
• Rosemont Police Department
• Round Lake Heights Police Department
• United States Marshals Service
• Veterans Affairs Police Department
• Waukegan Police Department
• Wheeling Police Department
• Willowbrook Police Department
• Winthrop Harbor Police Department
• Wood Dale Police Department
• Wisconsin HIDTA
• Woodstock Police Department
• Zion Police Department

» via the Lake County State's Attorney's Office

Top photo: "Duke", a Lake County Sheriff's Department K9 | via Office of the Lake County Sheriff