Local tribal police now carrying NARCAN

BARAGA– A local police department is now carrying tools to better help them deal with drug overdoses.

All Patrol Officers with the Keweenaw Bay Tribal Police Department are carrying NARCAN now and are trained in spotting the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose. NARCAN is called an “Opioid Antagonist,” meaning that it can instantly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Officials from the department say that their officers are better prepared to deal with addiction in the community.

“Well we became interested in it due to recent opioid overdoses onthe rise in our community, not only here but nationwide it’s been a problem,” said Keweenaw Bay Tribal Police Chief Duane Misegan. “So we looked into it and decided what way we could become more effective in deal with and helping the community with this.”

NARCAN works by displacing opioid from receptors in the brain and is administered by a nasal spray. It also has few side effects and is not harmful if it is given to a person who is not overdosing.

Misegan said that if someone is experiencing an overdose, police from the department can be notified and sent from dispatch.