SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City officers are joining statewide efforts by Utah's officers to save lives as Narcan becomes standard-issue equipment.
Officer Jacinda Riehm recently received her latest accommodation letter from Utah Nalaxone.
“It’s not our job to judge them for those decisions, it’s our job to be there, help and save them," said Officer Riehm. “It’s very humbling to get any sort of recognition, even if the person themselves might not be super happy to thank us in that moment. But very humbling.”
In the past, police officers would have waited for paramedics to arrive for help. Now, Salt Lake officers carry their own Narcan as the vast majority of reported drug overdoses happen within their jurisdiction.
According to Utah Nalaxone Program Manager Riley Drage, law-enforcement officers across the state are credited with more than 1,200 overdose reversals using Narcan or naloxone.
