NC police officers attend training on the dangers of fentanyl

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By Brittney Johnson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police agencies across North Carolina are rushing to protect officers from a growing danger on the streets.

Fentanyl, a potent drug that's often combined with heroin, is putting more officers at risk.

On Wednesday, officers from 13 law enforcement agencies across Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and other counties took a break from fighting the drug epidemic on the streets to attend a training at Central Piedmont Community College that could save their lives.

A roomful of detectives and undercover officers watched fellow officers on video describe their close calls with fentanyl.

"We actually thought we were dying," the officers said in the video.

The video described police officers who tried to release air from a bag of drugs when particles suddenly flew into their faces, leaving them struggling to breathe.

Major Patricia Brown, from CPCC's Law Enforcement and Public Safety Training Department, said stories like that are why the state is working to make officers more aware of the growing risk.

"It's a cheap drug, 40 to 50 times more potent than average heroin. People are just using it and overdosing," Brown said.

Forensic sciences instructor Ann Hamlin is seeing more fentanyl cases at the state crime lab, which means more officers are coming in close contact with the drug before they know what it is.

"They need to know how to protect themselves," Hamlin said.

Hamlin said the drug is also showing up in different forms.

In May, Iredell County deputies confiscated 5,000 pills passed off as OxyContin that were actually fentanyl.

Most of the officers in the training said they carry Narcan or naloxone, but do not have special protocols for handling fentanyl.

Trainers are hoping each of the agencies will take what it has learned and go back to develop protocols on how to handle the drug and stay safe.

Four cities in North Carolina -- Wilmington, Hickory, Jacksonville and Fayetteville -- are among the top 20 in the nation for opioid overdoses. Officials said that fact shows the increased chance of fentanyl being present on the streets.

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