Charles County has trained its first class of law enforcement officers to administer and be equipped with Narcan, a drug that reverses an opioid overdose. As reported on Southern Maryland Newspapers Online:

Eventually, Sheriff Troy Berry (D) intends to have every officer trained to properly administer Naloxone, a drug which can neutralize the effects of an overdose in minutes.

“It’s just another tool in the tool box for our officers,” La Plata Police Chief Carl Schinner said. “Anything we can do to help save a life, we’re going to do.”

While Naloxone, or Narcan, has been around for decades, its implementation by the police force is a response to the “driving force of criminal activity” the growing heroin trafficking problem has brought with it to Southern Maryland and surrounding areas, Berry said.

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The sheriff’s office will take new initiatives, such as keeping strict records of heroin- and opioid-related arrests in the county, to address the incoming drugs from outside, Berry said.

The sheriff’s office also will take an educational initiative to speak with schools and other organizations about the dangers of opioid abuse.

For more information read the full article on Southern Maryland Newspapers Online.