Tavares police officer exposed to fentanyl shines light on opioid dangers

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TAVARES, Fla. — A Tavares police officer was potentially exposed to fentanyl and overdosed, police said.

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Police said the officer found several narcotics during a traffic stop overnight. Another officer heard her choking on the police radio and she was caught on another officer’s bodycam going in and out of consciousness.

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First responders had to administer three lifesaving doses of the overdose drug Narcan in order to bring her back.

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The Tavares Police Department said fentanyl exposure is something it deals with a lot. Meanwhile, a nonprofit is working to end the opioid crisis, knowing how dangerous the drug is.

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“Everyone has a different tolerance,” Tavares police detective Courtney Sullivan said. “Obviously the officer doesn’t participate in any opiates or anything like that, so it hit her system in what I would call blunt-force trauma. Her body had no idea how to handle it, and it just completely shut down.”

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