Orland Police Use Narcan to Save Man from Heroin Overdose

Police equipped with Narcan saved a 28-year-old Orland Park man from a potentially fatal heroin overdose.

In the early morning hours of December 15, the Orland Park Police Department responded to a call of a man found unconscious from a possible overdose at a residence in the 13700 block of Mary Dr. Upon arrival of the police, the male was located inside the home unresponsive and struggling to breathe.

An officer prepared and then administered a dose of department issued Narcan (Naloxone) to the male. Shortly afterward, the male regained consciousness. The fire district then arrived on scene and the man was transported to Palos Community Hospital for follow up medical care.

The Orland Park Police Department was one of the first municipalities to carry Narcan in Cook County, according to police. The program began in the summer of 2014 and all sworn members and civilian employees assigned to the police lockup facility are trained.

Narcan is an opiate antidote that reverses the life-threatening effects of opiate (narcotic) overdose.

20 ILCS 301/5-23, Drug Overdose Prevention Program provides the authority for law enforcement to carry and administer Narcan.