Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Jon Collins, 612-919-5918
Law enforcement in
Hennepin County reach major milestone as first responders in all 45 cities are
trained and equipped with naloxone
March
1, 2018 (MINNEAPOLIS) –
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek and Chiefs of Police from several suburban police
departments announced that beginning in 2018, first responders in all 45 cities
of Hennepin County are now trained and equipped with naloxone.
This announcement marks a major
milestone in the countywide fight against opiate addiction and the surrounding
public safety crisis. During the announcement, Sheriff Stanek recognized the
men and women of the departments who have administered naloxone during the past
year with Lifesaving Awards.
“Law enforcement is in the business of
saving lives, but a few years ago we didn’t even have access to naloxone,” said
Sheriff Stanek. “But in 2014, after a change in state law, the Hennepin County
Sheriff’s Office became the first law enforcement agency in the state of Minnesota
to train and equip deputies with the life-saving drug. Now for the first time,
residents throughout the county are being protected by first responders who are
carrying naloxone.”
The departments recognized were:
- Bloomington
Police Department
- Brooklyn
Center Police Department
- Eden
Prairie Police Department
- Hopkins
Police Department
- Maple
Grove Police Department
- Plymouth
Police Department
During 2017 and so far in 2018, law
enforcement officers from the six Hennepin County police departments administered
naloxone more than 50 times, potentially saving a life each time.
During the event, Sheriff Stanek was
joined the President of the Hennepin Chiefs of Police Association President and
Corcoran Police Chief Matt Gottschalk.
“Over the past few years many of our
local police departments have trained and equipped their officers with the
life-saving drug, naloxone, my agency included,” said Chief Gottschalk. “We did
this because we knew it wasn’t if this would happen in our community, but when
it would happen, and we wanted to be ready to respond, and hopefully save a
life.”
Preliminary statistics show that during
2017, Hennepin County experienced 162 opioid-related deaths, a number that is
likely to increase as final numbers come in. This marks a new record high for
the county, surpassing last year’s 153 opioid-related deaths, and resulting in a
more than 47 percent increase since 2015.
According to 2016 data from the National
Center for Health Statistics, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for
Americans under the age of 50.
- HCSO -
 Sheriff Stanek and several Chiefs of Police during the announcement
Look for more news on
the Hennepin County Sheriff's website at http://www.hennepinsheriff.org.
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