In a week and a half, almost 800 Orlando police officers will begin carrying Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.
Officers said there's a growing need for them to carry the drug.
In the last year and a half, 64 people in Orlando have died of an opiate overdose.
Police said more than half of those overdoses involved heroin, which has been a growing trend since 2013.
The department spent more than $30,000 buying about 800 packages of Narcan so officers, first responders, detectives, school resource and airport officers can carry it.
Officers will have to go through training. The drug comes as a nasal spray that officers can administer as soon as they've identified an overdose victim.
"I'm telling you, within two minutes they snap back and they're like, 'Oh, what happened? Where am I? What am I doing?’ It's that amazing of a drug," Deputy Chief Robert Anzueto said.
Officials said they believe there are no negative impacts to officers carrying the drug.
ORLANDO, Fla. — “If you could see our list of victims, it's not the person in the alley, it's the person who has a nine to five job who got addicted to opiates, and had the pill form that led to the fentanyl that led to heroin. I've arrived, personally, on scenes where people have died and still had needles stuck in their arm in cars in the parking lot,” Anzueto said.
Anzueto said saving a life comes down to time and identifying the signs, such as pinpoint pupils and shallow breathing.
He said they're prepared for possible violent responses from overdose victims who immediately go into opiate withdrawal.
Police said there are no adverse effects from giving someone Narcan, who turns out not to be overdosing on opiates.
Cox Media Group
