Wilmington Police have started carrying Naloxone, or Narcan, a medication designed to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Wilmington PD joins numerous other police departments already carrying Narcan — it’s been available to police departments through Delaware’s Office of Emergency Medical Services since 2014.
New Castle County Police started carrying Narcan in 2015, and State Police in 2017.
City of Wilmington spokesperson David Karas says the fire department and EMS services have long carried Narcan, but there have been an inordinate number of overdose incidents.
“On a regular basis our officers encounter individuals who suffer from substance abuse and dependency challenges and they often come across people or respond to a call that a person who is actually experiencing an overdose," Karas says.So we’re very excited to be able to work out all of the logistics and start equipping our officers with this life saving medication.”
Karas says Wilmington’s Fire Department and EMS services have long carried Narcan and often reach a scene at the same time as police – one reason they haven’t felt a need to equip officers with the drug until now.
“This is definitely part of our realization, and I think a realization that has been happening across the country with law enforcement over the past several years, that not every challenge faced by one of our residents is best met by a traditional law enforcement response," Karas says. "It's not always an arrest, it's not always a prosecution that best addresses somebody's needs and that this is certainly one of our initiatives to try to help address needs in the community.”
State public health officials recently said overdose deaths in 2022 will likely pass that of the previous record of 515 deaths set in 2021.
Members of the public can receive free Narcan training and free Narcan kits at helpisherede.com.
