All Brown Deer police officers trained on how to use opioid antidote, Narcan: "Another tool to help"

All Brown Deer police officers trained on how to use opioid antidote, Narcan: “Another tool to help”

BROWN DEER -- It has been used two times in three months to save the lives of overdose victims, and as the opioid abuse epidemic shows no signs of slowing down, all Brown Deer police officers are learning how to use the life-saving antidote, Narcan.

When a 911 call came in regarding a possible drug overdose in November, Brown Deer Police Officer Michael Leeman started performing CPR.

Brown Deer Police Officer Michael Leeman

"Guy was in the back seat, took too much heroin. Next thing you know, he was unconscious and didn`t have a pulse. I was able to revive him, feel a pulse again," Leeman said.

This was one of two instances over the past three months where Brown Deer police had to use life-saving measures on a person who overdosed on opioids.

"It is unusual, and it seems to have been increasing," Brown Deer Police Sgt. Amy Koeppel said.

Brown Deer Police Department

The opioid epidemic is being felt throughout Milwaukee County, the state of Wisconsin, and the country.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said they're investigating eight probable overdose deaths that happened during the first weekend of February.

Sara Schreiber

"We are seeing one drug related-death, more than one drug-related death every day in this office," Sara Schreiber with the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said.

In an effort to prevent more deaths, all 25 Brown Deer police officers are being equipped with Narcan nasal spray. When administered to an overdose victim, it reverses the effects of the overdose.

"To have that right there, and our officers trained to use it, is just another tool for us to help people," Koeppel said.

Narcan

While paramedics and firefighters already carry Narcan, on occasions when an officer like Officer Leeman is the first emergency responder to arrive at a scene, Narcan can be the difference between life and death.

It is the hope that all Brown Deer police officers will be trained to use and carry Narcan by March.