The two feature articles of this issue provide guidance on how law enforcement agencies can train and supervise their officers in administering naloxone to persons who have overdosed on opioids, restoring respiration within 2-5 minutes, which could prevent brain injury and death.
"Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit Offers Support to Law Enforcement Agencies" describes the Naloxone Toolkit available at https://www.bjatraining.org/tools/naloxone/Naloxone-Background. The toolkit includes sample data-collection forms, standard operating procedures, law enforcement training guides, community outreach materials, and memoranda of agreement. All of these resources have been used by other law enforcement agencies and can be downloaded by agencies and customized for re-use. This article notes that the vast majority of opioid overdoses occur as a result of taking opioids inappropriately and/or mixing them with other substances. Death can occur within 45 to 90 minutes, giving a narrow period in which life-saving intervention is possible. In order to maximize the potential for treating overdose victims within this time period, many law enforcement agencies have trained their officers to carry and administer naloxone. The second feature article, "Arlington Outreach Initiative Treats Overdoses, Increases Community Trust" notes the opioid abuse epidemic that continues to expand across the United States, accompanied by overdoses that often result in death or brain injury. Recognizing this threat to many of its citizens, the police department of Arlington, Massachusetts, a town of about 43,000 residents, trains its officers to carry and administer Narcan (trade name for naloxone). The organization and benefits of this effort are described. A section of this issue of TECHBeat presents news related to public-safety technology.