‘If we can help, we want to help’

Police want laws to change regarding naloxone

Police officers should be able to try to save lives without fear of repercussions, said Niagara Regional Police Association president Cliff Priest.

“I’m not arguing against oversight, but when it gets so far and so ridiculous that when you’re administering something to try to save a life that you’re going to get investigated for it and be under a microscope, and suffer all the stress wondering what’s going to happen … where is that fair?” Priest asked.

If police officers try to save the life of someone suffering from an opioid overdose by administering naloxone – a drug used to block the effects of the drug - they could find themselves answering to the province’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit.

Priest said most police officers would do everything they could to save a life, regardless of the potential consequences.

“Officers always want to help and save lives where they can. None of us want to go to a call and stand around and see someone pass away. If we can help, we want to help. That’s our role,” said Priest, who represents more than 700 officers throughout the Region.

Although the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act can protect members of the public from legal action if they try to assist someone, Priest said that doesn’t apply to SIU investigations.

“That’s the problem,” he said.

Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Monica Hudon said the organization is mandated to investigate all deaths and serious injuries involving the police, and that includes cases “where the extent of alleged involvement was simply the administration of a medication such as naloxone.”

“Whether or not the administration of the drug by a police officer was the only interaction with a person who subsequently died or suffered a serious injury is for the SIU to determine,” she said.

Priest said the threat of an investigation “is going to weigh heavily on the minds of the officers if they try to help someone, they could end up having their life screwed up for at least a year because that’s how long it takes SIU to complete an investigation and clear officers.”

He said most police officers would use the naloxone, anyway, and “then they have to suffer the consequences, which is not fair.” Priest called it a Catch 22.

“Can you imagine how you’d feel if you don’t do it and someone passes away? That would have a devastating impact on my members. If they know they could have helped, but didn’t,” he said.

But if police do use the medication, “we jeopardize our careers our livelihood?” “You’re damned if you do. You’re damned if you don’t.”

Positive Living Niagara executive director Glen Walker, whose organization distributes hundreds of naloxone kits to community volunteers every year through its StreetWorks program, said it’s also “really important” for firefighters, Niagara Emergency Medical Service paramedics and for police officers to have naloxone kits.

“There’s no two ways about it. The more we have out there, the more people will be able to use it,” he said.

But because naloxone needs to be used as soon as possible, he said the organization is primarily targeting the users themselves as well as people close to them.

“If someone’s on the floor and turning blue, by the time you pick up the phone even to call 911, it may actually be too late. Ideally, we want that kit there in that home before that call is actually made,” Walker said.

“We’re really getting it into the hands of people who are going to use it and use it immediately. I think certainly our work in getting it out to active injection drug users and people around them and family members is paramount for us.”

The efforts appear to be working.

“We have families coming in who have children or loved ones who are engaged in drug use hoping to get the kits,” he said.

“What’s happening is a number of people do overdose and they have the kit there. They’re using it before they ever call police or EMS. Quite often, EMS will arrive and they’ll see that the kits have been used already.”

And although the Good Samaritan Act does not protect police from SIU probes, Walker said the legislation does protect the organization’s volunteers and members of the community.

During a police board meeting Thursday, police Chief Bryan MacCulloch said he would like to equip all frontline officers with naloxone and train them in its use, but plans to write letter to the SIU early next year to determine the organization’s potential response. Without protection from potential litigation, Priest said having the drug available to police officers would only add to the problem.

“That’s the other side of it. If we have it and don’t administer it, SIU could then again investigate us for not assisting someone,” Priest said. “It just puts out members in a very bad position.” ABenner@postmedia.com twitter.com/abenner1