Benicia police are equipping themselves with the latest technology to battle the ever-growing opiate crisis in America.
Last week, the Benicia Fire Department began training police to use Naloxone Hydrochloride, a drug designed to counteract the effects of opioids. Benicia Police said they began training to use Naloxone Hydrochloride, or Narcan as it is more commonly known by its brand name, due to opiates slowly making their way into Solano County.
The drug is administered through a nasal spray and takes around 5 minutes for the body to fully react. Each sworn-in officer is equipped with a Narcan canister. Side effects of Narcan can include agitation, dizziness, weakness, restlessness, irritability, body aches and diarrhea. In rare cases, Narcan can cause cardiac arrhythmias, shortness of breath, abnormal brain function, seizures, coma and death.
Irma Widjojo, the management analyst for the Benicia Police Department, said Benicia police officers are aware of Narcan’s side effects, but by the time police would administer the drug, paramedics are already at the scene.
“When we have to use it, they are in a critical condition,” Widjojo said. “Either it could be a fatal incident or we try to save their life.”
Narcan was created by Jack Fishman, a Polish immigrant who left his home country after it became occupied by the Nazis. The drug received its first patentin 1969 and was later approved by the Food and Drug Administration for opioid overdose in 1971. Narcan is a widely known drug among law enforcement officials and paramedics, with both Benicia firefighters and paramedics already equipped with Narcan. No Benicia police have been forced use Narcon yet, Widjojo said.
“Narcan is another tool that we want to have to better serve our community,” she said. “One life saved is worth it.”

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