HONESDALE, PA — By a four-to-two vote at its March 9 meeting, the Honesdale Borough Council voted to reject Wayne County District Attorney Janine Edwards’ request that borough police be trained and equipped to administer an antidote for heroin overdose. Council members Dan Barnes and James Brennan cast the two votes against rejecting the proposal, Brennan saying that the subject deserves more study. Anita Pisano was absent due to illness.

Discussion prior to the vote centered on potentially negative consequences for the police department and borough as a whole as well as for individual officers, with Councilmember Scott Smith saying that adoption of the practice would mean increased liability for all borough officials involved. It was also noted that, at this time, Pennsylvania State Police do not administer the antidote.

Although Police Chief Rick Southerton expressed no opinion in the meeting prior to the vote, he said later in private remarks that the greater liability would come not from improper administration of the drug but from possession and regular transportation of a controlled substance. He expressed confidence that his officers would be able to complete successfully the additional first-responder training required to administer Naloxone, and pointed out that police have long been certified in first-responder practices, including CPR and first aid.

In use since the 1960s, Naloxone is an opioid antagonist used to counter the effects of opioids like heroin, especially in overdose. It has been shown to reverse the dangerously low blood pressure and depression of central nervous and respiratory systems resulting from opioid overdose. Timely administration of Naloxone following opioid overdose can be lifesaving, an outcome that Southerton agrees could justify risk. But he says that it would be rare within the borough for the police to reach an overdose victim in advance of medical personnel, because of close hospital proximity. Adding that it’s a different story in outlying areas, where police on patrol might well be first on the scene of an overdose, Southerton says that, if re-elected, Edwards may choose to press the borough council for police use of Naloxone.

The meeting started on a more upbeat note, as Mayor Jack Bishop presented an award to Donna LaBar in recognition of her 17 years service to the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, first as board member, then as executive director, and most recently as community relations director. Saying that almost everyone who has spent time in Honesdale during her tenure with the chamber would recognize her, Bishop thanked her for being the friendly face of the borough for so long.

Also addressed at the meeting were a variety of complaints from residents, business owners, Bishop, and Southerton that sidewalks fronting private property are not being cleared of ice and snow, prompting Southerton to remind all present that obeying the law is voluntary. He said, “We can’t force people to clear their sidewalks, but we can ticket them for failing to do it, and that we have been doing. Property owners usually complain about the tickets, but they still don’t clear their sidewalks.”

For complete meeting minutes and full text of resolutions, see honesdaleborough.com.