This month, Carrollton Police released data from 2017 and 2018 that concerns the number of opioid overdoses that the CPD responded to inside city limits. Officers responded to 25 overdoses in 2017; that number rose to 37 last year. ThatÂ’s an increase of 48% Â between the two years.
However, the number of deaths resulting from those overdoses decreased significantly between the two years, from 5 in 2017 to one in 2018.
CPD Corporal Brandon Podaras:
“That just tells you that the amount of narcotic analgesics and opioids are on the rise. We are fighting it more, we’re seeing it more and it is more prevalent. But at the same time because our first responders are equipped with Narcan… I think those deaths would be a lot higher if we didn’t have it. I think those numbers would be staggering if we didn’t have the Narcan at least.”
Narcan is a medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially in overdose.
As far as investigations, Podaras said officers worked 25 synthetic narcotic cases in the city in 2017. That number rose to 31 in 2018.
“Since me and my partner took over the narcotics unit, I’ve taken some time every month to compile statistics, numbers and seizures. Last year we seized right at $100,000 in cash, 8 vehicles and something like 40 guns that we took off the street in one year alone… and that’s just little old Carrollton. You bring that out to a widespread Carroll County and even the West Georgia area and that number can go up even higher.”
Podaras said not all overdose calls turn into an investigation that leads to an arrest because there are laws protecting those who report an over-dosed individual. He said those laws are in effect to try to save lives and not discourage friends of users from calling for help because of the fear that they may be implicated in some way.
