Police chief seeks clarity over failed use of naloxone

WATERLOO REGION — Police Chief Bryan Larkin is asking the Special Investigations Unit for clarity when it comes to investigating police who administer naloxone and the person dies.

Larkin, who is president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, wrote in a letter to the director of the SIU last month that chiefs across the province are concerned about the agency investigating officers who administer the life-saving drug but the person overdosing still dies.

Larkin says the SIU position that police must report the death when someone dies while naloxone is given is “not logical or practical.”

“We suggest that there be a clear position provided by the SIU that is similar to British Columbia’s Independent Investigations Office policy — that overdose deaths where naloxone was administered or attempted to be administered by police officer, with no other police interaction causing or contributing to the person’s death or medical crisis, are not SIU matters,” Larkin said in the letter.

In an interview Tuesday, Larkin said the chiefs need clarification when it comes to police administrating life-saving measures and being investigated.

“We want to meet and have some dialogue. We want to work together and move forward,” he said. “We support oversight and accountability.”

To date, there hasn’t been anyone who has died after being given naloxone by a police officer in the region or in the province, he said. In B.C., officers are not investigated if they give naloxone to a user and he or she dies.

Larkin said for years officers have been arriving at accident scenes or going to medical calls where people are dying or do die while police are interacting with them. These incidents are not

investigated by the SIU.

“Simply put, those are not SIU calls nor was the legislation drafted to capture those incidents,” he wrote.

Larkin said naloxone has saved lives and will continue to do so with few negative effects.

Locally, police notify paramedics and public health each time they administer naloxone.

In 2017, 71 people died of opioid overdoses and paramedics responded to 800 calls related to opioid overdoses.

Larkin said the worry is that if police are investigated when administering naloxone, they may be discouraged from acting quickly during an overdose situation.

“We don’t want an officer to fear taking action based on a year-long investigation,” Larkin said in an interview.

Police are mandated to contact the agency when incidents involve police and civilians and there has been a death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.

In the letter, Larkin said police will not be calling the SIU when someone dies receiving naloxone by police.

The SIU will only be contacted if when the person is revived and force was used to arrest the person, Larkin said.