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Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Chief of Police Wilfredo Campos today announced that Wilmington police officers have started to carry Naloxone (aka Narcan), a medication designed to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Over the past several months, WPD has worked with the Delaware Office of Emergency Medical Services to develop a plan for this initiative and to implement a training curriculum for officers.
 
“The men and women of the Wilmington Police Department (WPD) are often first to arrive at various kinds of incidents, and some of them involve medical emergencies where they render immediate aid and save lives on a daily basis,” said Chief Wilfredo Campos. “Equipping our officers with Naloxone will give them yet another tool to help rescue those suffering from an opioid overdose.”
 
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Naloxone – commonly known by the manufacturer name Narcan – is an FDA-approved medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist, meaning that it binds to opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other opioids such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone.
 
“Our police department has made great strides in recent years to strengthen its community connections through a greater understanding that policing is more than just strictly law enforcement efforts,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Sometimes, our police officers are in a unique position to provide aid that is more along the lines of physical or mental health assistance. Now, both our police department and fire department carry Narcan and that will help to save lives.”
 
In addition to police officers carrying Naloxone while on duty, WPD also facilitates the distribution of Opioid Rescue Kits – including Narcan nasal spray, fentanyl test strips and other lifesaving materials – to the public through our Community Resource Fairs and weekly Community Outreach Walks through our partnership with the Delaware Community Response Teams. Each week, members of this team walk with our police officers in a different location in Wilmington, distributing information about overdose prevention and distributing materials.
 
To learn more about resources for those suffering from an opioid addiction, and their families and loved ones, and to request a Narcan kit, visit www.HelpIsHereDE.com [helpisherede.com].

To learn more about this initiative, visit WilmingtonDE.gov/Police.