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As part of an initiative to battle drug overdoses and save lives, Unified Police Department officers will be issued doses of an opiate antidote that they can administer before emergency medical responders arrive.
The initiative is a creative way to tackle the crisis of opioid addiction and overdoses, speakers at a Thursday news conference said.
"It will, without question, save many, many lives," Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said.
Patrol officers began training Thursday on how to use Narcan, a nasal spray containing the drug naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose. On completion of the training, each officer will be supplied with one dose of the spray.
When officers respond to a suspected overdose, they will spray the medication into the person's nose, Winder said. He said naloxone will not harm a person who did not overdose so there will be no liability for the sheriff's office.
Jennifer Plumb, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at Primary Children's Hospital, said people who overdose stop breathing and naloxone is key to getting them breathing as quickly as possible.
If one dose doesn't work within three to five minutes, a second dose can be administered, she added. (Because two officers respond to each call, two doses would be available, Plumb said).
The $37.50 cost per dose will come from the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, which is using assets forfeited by drug dealers to pay for the medication. The sheriff's office currently has 300 doses and will be supplied with funds for more as the need arises.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said "dollar for dollar," the units of Narcan deliver the best return on investment, and saving even one life is worth the cost.
Utah is facing a public health crisis, he added.
"The truth is, opioid addiction is everywhere," Gill said.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC