Thomasville Police Chief Mitchell Stuckey told WKRG Tuesday that a Thomasville police sergeant nearly died due to being exposed to fentanyl.
The sergeant, who chose to keep his name private, responded to a drug overdose call early on April 21. He called his wife on the way back to the police headquarters and told her he wasn’t feeling well, despite the fact that he wore protective gloves and gear during the call.
At the headquarters, he collapsed, face first. His fellow officers quickly administered a nasal spray called Narcan, or naloxone, which is used to reverse the effect of opioids. The sergeant was then brought to the hospital, where he was treated and survived the incident.
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid. It was first made in the 1960s for medical use but began plaguing North America in the 2010s when it became a common additive in recreational drugs. Fentanyl can potentially be hundreds of times more potent than heroin, and some dealers cut fentanyl powder into heroin and other opioids to increase potency.
Fentanyl poses an extremely high risk of overdose and has an unpredictable fatal dosage when mixed with other drugs.
Thomasville police officers reviewed additional training on fentanyl on Tuesday. The sergeant was able to describe his experience and warn his fellow officers about how easily he became exposed.
Stuckey said if the sergeant would’ve died, he would’ve charged someone with murder.
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