Elkhart County Sheriff's deputies to carry opiate antidote

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) - The Elkhart County Sheriff's Department plans to begin equipping all deputies with a drug that can reverse an opiate overdose.

By mid-March, all officers will carry the opiate antidote naloxone in their squad cars and will be able to administer it when responding to a reported overdose. The Elkhart Truth (http://bit.ly/1StLfC9 ) reports that the sheriff's department will be the first law enforcement agency in the county to equip its officers with the drug in an effort to address a recent increase in heroin and prescription painkiller overdoses.

The Elkhart Police Department doesn't plan to equip its officers with naloxone because the city's fire stations are equipped with the drug and the response time of paramedics is so fast and effective.

The Goshen Police Department might offer naloxone training to its officers.

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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com