Keeping Sudbury police officers safe 'a priority' as opioid crisis looms

Greater Sudbury Police Services Staff Sergeant Rick Waugh says health and safety for his officers continues to be a priority as the opioid crisis grows.

Following 'Project Stinton,' a massive drug bust that broke up a regional trafficking ring with ties to the Hell's Angels, Waugh says they're taking steps to ensure that police are educated, as well as equipped to deal with opioids, especially fentanyl.

• Police shut down Hell's Angels-linked drug ring in Sudbury
• Carfentanil suspected in North Bay overdose

"We want everyone to go home at the end of their shifts. That's an obvious priority for us," Waugh said.

"We definitely have personal issued equipment that keeps us safe. In the case of powdered fentanyl what you're most concerned about that it goes airborne."

Seven full-time officers devoted to drug team

Waugh said there are seven full-time officers on the drug team who have already had training to deal with the potential hazards of opioids.

"The drug officers who deal with this everyday, they're accustomed to taking the precautionary steps," he said. "We're talking to the frontline officers who just don't deal with it as frequently."

Waugh said the police service just completed a review to determine if naloxone kits which can stop an accidental overdose is something their officers should carry.

The chief and the police board will make that call at a later date.

• Sudbury cops say they need fentanyl antidote to save lives
• Sudbury police, Sudbury health unit issue warning after cut drugs reported on streets

Waugh says they've also upgraded ventilators at both police sites on Brady Street and in Azilda.

"The ventilation hood allows us to open up packages in a safe manner so that if any of the drugs seeped out of bags...it's not becoming airborne," hesaid. "It's sucked up into the filters of the ventilation hood."

Sudbury Police have so far seized mostly opioids in patch-form, which aren't as big a concern as the powder, Waugh said.

But they have found what he calls "dirty pills" which contain amounts of fentanyl.

"We've seen organized crime press their own pills," Waugh said. "It can be masked in any other drug."