The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department will now supply every deputy sheriff in the field with an antidote to help revive people who have overdosed on opioids, such as heroin.
The use of Naloxone, a generic version of the Narcan antidote, began as a pilot program last July in the Santee and Lakeside Command Area. Now, the program will be expanded to all patrol deputies throughout the County.
In the 10 months since patrol deputies began carrying Naloxone, it has been used to save the lives of 11 people who were overdosing on opioids, said Sheriff’s Santee station Capt. James Bovet. Deputies also provided information about drug treatment options to those who received the antidote. So far, one person has completed a drug treatment program, said Bovet.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department became the first law enforcement agency in the state to carry the antidote and train patrol deputies in how to administer the antidote when the pilot began. Bovet said many law enforcement agencies throughout the state are interested in starting their own programs.
