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Tavares police officer exposed to fentanyl shines light on opioid dangers

TAVARES, Fla. — A Tavares police officer was potentially exposed to fentanyl and overdosed, police said.

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Police said the officer found several narcotics during a traffic stop overnight. Another officer heard her choking on the police radio and she was caught on another officer’s bodycam going in and out of consciousness.

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First responders had to administer three lifesaving doses of the overdose drug Narcan in order to bring her back.

The Tavares Police Department said fentanyl exposure is something it deals with a lot. Meanwhile, a nonprofit is working to end the opioid crisis, knowing how dangerous the drug is.

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“Everyone has a different tolerance,” Tavares police detective Courtney Sullivan said. “Obviously the officer doesn’t participate in any opiates or anything like that, so it hit her system in what I would call blunt-force trauma. Her body had no idea how to handle it, and it just completely shut down.”

See more in the video above.

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.