Bay Area cops treated after suspected fentanyl exposure

Two Vacaville police officers were treated with naloxone and taken to an area hospital Tuesday night after they showed signs of a possible fentanyl exposure.

Naloxone (brand name Narcan), a nasal spray carried by police and fire department officials, is administered when anyone shows signs of fentanyl overdose. It reverses and stops opioids immediately.

Just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, a police officer and sergeant responded to an unrelated call on Countrywood Circle, said Vacaville Police Lt. Chris Lechuga. During that call, the officer began experiencing symptoms and collapsing toward the sergeant asking for Narcan to be administered. The sergeant administered it and the officer showed signs of improvement. But moments later the sergeant started to feel the effects as well.

Narcan was administered to the sergeant and both were taken the hospital for observation and were released a few hours later.

Lt. Lechuga said there is no way to tell for sure if the officers were experiencing the effects of fentanyl. “The Narcan stops it and there is no test or way to tell if it was fentanyl,” he said.

The location of the call they were on had no illegal drugs and a previous call with an individual that involved a check uncovered no drugs on that person, police noted.

“It could be that on some other call maybe something got on their skin or clothes but there is no way to confirm it,” Lechuga said. “But this kind of situation is why we carry Narcan.”

Three police cars were also taken for thorough cleaning “just to be careful,” Lechuga added.

He said it is the third potential exposure he is aware of to happen in the past year, though the others did not involve the need for Narcan to be administered.