Windsor Police Services Board wants training for officers before they're asked to use naloxone
Medication can save the lives of people overdosing on opioids
Members of the Windsor Police Services Board say officers will need proper training before being asked to administer naloxone.
Jason DeJong, President of the Windsor Police Association, said he's in favour of officers carrying kits containing the medication that can save the lives of people overdosing on opioids, but added using naloxone comes with liability for the force.
"There's a risk there," he said. "We would be looking to the service and to the province and the ministry to provide guidelines as to how the kit would be applied to the public."
The drug could also protect police from accidental exposure to fentanyl as it did for three Winnipeg police officers who recently used the antidote when they came in contact with the highly-addictive opioid.
Police chief Al Frederick says he's awaiting the results of a review by a provincial association of chiefs before deciding whether to deploy the kits in Windsor.
"We're fully aware of what the risks are to our community, but at the same time there's only so much a police officer can do and be required to do on a daily basis," he explained. "We're not medical practitioners so there are some challenges there in my view."