Twin Lakes police officers to carry Narcan

Via villageoftwinlakes.net

Village looks to raise awareness

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Drugs are in Twin Lakes, along with other municipalities, and village police plan to add Narcan to its arsenal to tackle a rising heroin epidemic.

The decision is the latest in a series of maneuvers to address these concerns, starting with a June 5 proposal before the Twin Lakes Committee of Whole meeting, where officer Joe Patla pitched the idea of adding a K9 officer.

From there, on June 16, the Twin Lakes Police Department raised awareness of drugs in the community on its Facebook page.

“Lets stop this horrible epidemic…Please read this important information and educate yourself and your loved one,” the post states. “These drugs are appearing in our area and we need to work together to keep our community safe and drug free.”

Police Chief Adam Grosz, who responded the Facebook post Monday, said the message is clear.

“We are still concerned about the heroin epidemic in our community and across the state,” he said. “We are seeing it more and more in the community and we want everyone to have as much information and resources as possible.”

Meanwhile, the Facebook post reported national trends, noting deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids rose 72 percent from 2014 to 2015.

Within the Twin Lakes community, according to Patla’s presentation at the June 5 Committee of the Whole meeting, the village saw 19 fatal narcotic overdoses since 2011.

Of the 19, 17 were from opiate use.

“Heroin is the biggest issue we have in Twin Lakes,” Patla said at the meeting.

In Kenosha County, including the City of Kenosha, there were 136 drug overdose deaths from 2012-14, fourth in Wisconsin.

Effective June 26, Grosz said all officers expect to carry Narcan, or naloxone, a drug, which reverses the effects of opioids.

Narcan, the Food and Drug Administration states, received initial approval in 1971 and can get administered through a Nasal spray or intravenously.

“All of the officers are going to start carrying Narcan next Monday,” said Grosz, who reports the Kenosha County Health Health Department plans to train officers on proper administration.

Grosz also said it is imperative for those suffering from addiction to receive help.

To seek resources, contact (262) 552-6879 or (262) 657-7188.

To get a family or friend into treatment, but unsure what action to take, call (855) 378-4373.

Positive feedback on K9 unit
As officers learn to administer Narcan, the police department is still seeking donations to fund its proposed K9 unit, which received unanimous support from the Village Board.

Grosz said the proposal has drawn favorable feedback from community.

“It is going well so far, we are starting to put some programs and fundraisers together,” Grosz said. “There has been a lot of support from the community already.”

A K9 unit can reduce the burden of officers with the use of its nose, detecting odors from illegal drugs, including heroin, cocaine, meth, marijuana and opiate pills.

Also, dogs can help track missing children and adults.

To donate, visit the Twin Lakes website, where contributors can pitch in with Paypal.

http://www.villageoftwinlakes.net/tlpd-k9-program/


Posted

in

,

by

Tags: