VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) _ The Porter County Sheriff's Department will begin equipping its officers with a drug that can reverse opiate overdoses.
Every officer on the force will soon carry naloxone, an opiate antidote that is administered nasally. The Times reports state law was amended earlier this year to allow first responders to administer the drug, which was already being used by select paramedics and physicians.
The director of prevention and education at Porter-Starke Services says naloxone is now being given to officers because they often arrive on the scene earlier than emergency medical crews. He says the drug is highly effective in stopping overdoses if it's administered quickly enough.
Sheriff Dave Lain says the new effort makes a paradigm shift in the way the department approaches the issue of substance abuse, especially heroin and other opiates, including prescription drugs.
