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County law enforcement officers now carry a life-saving drug that has the power to reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.

In a news release issued Friday, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden announced his office was among the first agencies in the county to equip officers with Naloxone, commonly referred to as Narcan. Officers now carry the nasal spray form of the drug, which reverses the effects of opioids in the human body.

The effort seeks to combat the recent heroin epidemic that has gripped towns throughout the state.

“I commend the Monmouth and Ocean County Prosecutors Offices for leading this movement, and, would especially like to recognize Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato for bringing this innovative program to the forefront several months ago,” Golden said in the release. 

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office developed the Narcan program’s policy and training protocols in early January of this year. As of April 24, officers in Ocean Township successfully saved six lives from overdoses.

The initiative comes after Gov. Chris Christie launched a pilot program in Ocean and Monmouth counties that trains and equips first responders to administer Narcan. All county officers equipped with Narcan attend specific training sessions to ensure they know how to properly administer the drug before they can carry it. In any instance the drug is used, officers must report the use to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office within 24 hours through a corresponding incident report.

The full release is as follows: 

Sheriff Shaun Golden is pleased to announce that the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is among one of the first law enforcement agencies in the county to become equipped with Narcan. Beginning, May 29, Naloxone, also known as Narcan, a nasal spray that counteracts the effects of a heroin overdose, will be carried by trained sheriff’s officers and administered to individuals in emergency situations.

“The availability of Narcan to first responders is a major step forward when it comes to addressing the heroin epidemic that plagues Monmouth and Ocean counties,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “I commend the Monmouth and Ocean County Prosecutors Offices for leading this movement, and, would especially like to recognize Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato for bringing this innovative program to the forefront several months ago. I look forward to working with him and Acting Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni in the continued efforts of the fight against drug abuse and addiction.”

The initiative comes after Gov. Chris Christie launched a pilot program in Ocean and Monmouth counties that trains and equips first responders to administer Narcan.

Sheriff’s officers were trained by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office which has also supplied and funded the initial Narcan kits.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office must follow standard procedures through the pilot program in which a Narcan coordinator designated by the sheriff’s office must ensure the following:

• The Narcan is current and not expired.

• The proper and efficient deployment of Narcan is carried out by officers. Any Narcan that is damaged, unusable, expired or deployed must be replaced.

• Ensure that all officers who will be using Narcan have received appropriate training in such.

• Ensure that any deployment of Narcan to a subject will have a corresponding incident report documenting such deployment.

• Report to the County Prosecutor within 24 hours (County Narcan Coordinator) any use of Narcan utilizing the Monmouth County Nasal Narcan Deployment Form.

“In addition to our participation in the Narcan program, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office through the National Prescription Drug Takeback Initiative, continues to be a leader in decreasing prescription drug abuse, which can lead to other dangerous drugs such as heroin,” said Sheriff Golden. “It’s our hope that through this dedication and these efforts, lives will be saved and the drug abuse problem will experience a downward trend.”

[Photo of Narcan spray kit provided by the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.]

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