Mass. Police Continue to Add Narcan to Officers` Arsenals

Aug. 31--IPSWICH -- Each cruiser in the Ipswich Police Department's fleet now comes equipped with Nasal Naloxone (Narcan). It's the latest example of ongoing efforts by North Shore law enforcement agencies to combat the drug crisis plaguing Massachusetts.

Narcan, which comes in either injectable doses or as nasal spray, is an antagonist prescription drug that reverses the effects of opioids by displacing the drug from receptors in the brain. It can quickly revive a person from a fatal overdose. Ipswich now joins several other area departments that have already introduced Nasal Narcan into their officers' toolkits, including Swampscott, Boxford, Wenham, Topsfield and Salem.

"We're always [more] often than not the first people on scene, so having the capability to even save one life was paramount in getting this out there, getting [the Narcan] in the hands of my officers," said Ipswich Chief Paul Nikas. He released an announcement Wednesday about the upgrades to the department's cruisers.

All 24 officers have been trained and certified on applying Narcan, Nikas said.

Salem, which equips every officer with Narcan, began the practice about a year ago. Salem Police Chief Mary Butler said it's already made a difference.

Butler did not have statistics available to cite, but said there have been multiple instances over the past year where officers, carrying Narcan, were first on the scene to an incident and were able to save an overdose victim's life by quickly administering the counteragent.

"[Without] Narcan, people would fail to continue breathing and ultimately expire, so I do think it's having a huge impact on that [fatal overdose] statistic," said Butler. "That's the positive part about Narcan at this point, is that it is making a difference."

Nikas pointed out that EMTs with Action Ambulance, which provides emergency medical services for Ipswich, has made four saves this year because they were equipped when responding to overdose calls. He said he'd "rather be ahead of the curve."

"I'd hate to know we had a chance out there to save a life and we delayed because any number of reasons," Nikas said.

An expensive drug

Narcan is not without its challenges -- it's expensive, for one.

Nikas explained that once the demand for the counteragent grew, the pharmaceutical companies creating the supply of Narcan hiked up their prices. Federal and state law enforcement entities have been working to ensure reasonable prices for local departments, but Ipswich still pays $30-$35 per dose, according to Nikas said.

The department purchases it through Beverly Hospital, which also provided the clearance and instruction on how to administer the counteragent. Ipswich Patrolman Charles Ciccotelli will be in charge of tracking the department's stock and ordering more as needed.

Nikas said they bought their initial supply using federal drug forfeiture money, and may look at increasing the department's overall supplies budget to finance additional purchases going forward.

It's not a panacea

Then there's the subject of Narcan's limitations both directly and in the grand scheme of the fight against drug use. Butler noted that new strains of heroin are infused with Fentanyl and other substances, to create what's considered a bigger high for the addict. This is a problem because it means that more Narcan is required to bring an overdose victim back.

She also lamented the fact that police needing to use Narcan at all speaks to the larger problem as a whole. There's even been some people officers have brought back multiple times, she said, but still, Narcan is a worthwhile tool.

"It's hopeful thinking that at some point, the people who are addicted are going to want to do something to change their life," Butler said. "[But] if they're not here to make that decision...they're never going to be able to."

Nikas agrees. "We look at it as a necessity, it's just as important as having bandages and bandaids," he said.

Equipping officers with Narcan isn't where the effort to fight the drug crisis ends for law enforcement -- they also have to continue working to get the drugs and the drug dealers themselves off the street, Butler acknowledged. She pointed out that Narcan is a useful ally in helping the victims -- the addicts.

Several other area police departments, including Peabody, Danvers and Beverly, are now in the process of adding Narcan to their arsenals.

"I know the trend is absolutely going this way," Nikas said. "It's unfortunate, but Narcan is almost like a defibrilator where it should be standard equipment." While drug overdose numbers have spiked -- reports of overdoses in Ipswich are higher to date this year than all of 2014 -- fatal overdoses have decreased, he said.

"Fatalities are down, and I think that's a direct result of the Narcan," said Nikas. "Our job is to save lives, this gives us a tool to do that."

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