Private group supplies sheriffs with OD antidote
A private law enforcement association announced Tuesday it is supplying every Oklahoma sheriff and their deputies with the overdose-reversing drug Narcan.
The Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association made the announcement at a news conference at the state Capitol on the second day of the 2018 legislative session.
“We hope this donation ... will permit our sheriffs and sheriff deputies to save lives in the event of an overdose situation that they might respond to or encounter,” Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said.
The association will spend $150,000 this year to supply the Narcan nasal spray to sheriffs and deputies and to provide training in its use, executive director Ray McNair said. Training begins in Norman on Wednesday.
The drug can reverse the effects of a prescription drug overdose in minutes and was referred to Tuesday as an antidote.
The donation will significantly expand law enforcement use of Narcan in the state. An existing program run by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services already has distributed to law enforcement officers across the state more than 4,500 kits of the drug.
“But we have a long way to go to reach every officer,” said Terri White, the commissioner of the mental health agency. “And the work of the sheriffs’ association, the announcement they’re making today, is a huge step.”
The announcement comes at a time that the association is under fire for its role in a program that charges criminals 30 percent more if their overdue fines are turned over to a collection agency.
A federal civil rights lawsuit now pending in Tulsa seeks an end to the collection program. The lawsuit describes the program as an extortion scheme that targets the poor.
The association has made more than $4 million off its role administering the program, The Oklahoman reported in November. Those familiar with the program said the association does very little for the money it makes.
One critic, Rep. Bobby Cleveland, has introduced legislation that could reduce the association’s role in the collection program and how much extra money is collected.
Cleveland, R-Slaughterville, watched the news conference Tuesday.
“Well, they ought to have enough money,” the legislator said about the announcement. “I’m glad to see them doing something positive. It’s a good deal.”
After the news conference, the association hosted a lunch for legislators.