Crime & Safety
Naloxone Use Surges To Highest Ever In Union County, Police Say
Police have administered more of the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug in the first 8 months of 2018 than they did in all of 2017.
UNION COUNTY, NJ — It's only eight months into 2018 and police officers in Union County have already given the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug more than they did in all of 2017.
As of Friday, police have administered naloxone a total of 181 times this year, passing the 2017 total of 180 and 2016 with 161, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office.
Of the 181, a total of 47 people have died from an overdose in Union County as of Aug. 24.
Find out what's happening in Cranfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The highest number of Narcan deployment remains in Union Township with 43, followed by Linden, Rahway, Elizabeth and Cranford.
Comparing these numbers to the beginning on August, Narcan was used 156 times with 47 overdose deaths in Union County as of Aug. 3.
Find out what's happening in Cranfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here is a breakdown of the police-administered naloxone in Union County from Aug. 3 to Aug. 24:
| Town | Aug. 3 | Aug.24 |
| Union | 34 | 43 |
| Linden | 31 | 35 |
| Rahway | 16 | 18 |
| Elizabeth | 13 | 17 |
| Cranford | 11 | 11 |
| Plainfield | 9 | 9 |
| Clark | 6 | 7 |
| Hillside | 6 | 6 |
| Roselle Park | 7 | 8 |
| Roselle | 4 | 4 |
| Summit | 5 | 5 |
| Kenilworth | 5 | 5 |
| Springfield | 2 | 3 |
| Winfield | 2 | 3 |
| Garwood | 2 | 2 |
| Westfield | 1 | 2 |
| Scotch Plains | 1 | 1 |
| Berkeley Heights | 1 | 1 |
| New Providence | 0 | 1 |
| Fanwood | 0 | 0 |
| Mountainside | 0 | 0 |
The UCPO releases the numbers periodically in an effort to "#confrontingacrisis."
Our updated police-administered naloxone deployment map. Police officers in Union County have now given the lifesaving overdose-reversal drug 181 times this year, eclipsing the 2017 total of 180. pic.twitter.com/VNFGUnUA9m
— UCPONJ (@UCPONJ) August 24, 2018
(Image via Union County Prosecutor's Office)
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