A London city councillor and police services board chair is adding his voice to a growing chorus against Special Investigation Unit (SIU) involvement in naloxone cases.
“It sends the wrong message to the front-line officers who are working in the midst of an opioid crisis,” said Mo Salih.
“It’s a complete waste of resources.”
Naloxone is a potentially life-saving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of overdose.
The SIU announced an investigation Thursday after a London police officer gave a 21-year-old man naloxone while responding to a medical assistance call the night before.
“They try to save a life and they might have an SIU probe, or they do nothing and then they have a criminal investigation for maybe criminal negligence.”
Salih said the perception of SIU investigations is that an officer may have done something wrong.
“I think it really makes it hard for the community and police relations,” Salih said. “It hurts, because people feel as if maybe they can’t really trust the police.”
On Thursday afternooon, the 21-year-old London man was listed in critical condition.
In Midland, a provincial officer is also under investigation after using naloxone on a 31-year-old woman Sunday. She was pronounced dead in hospital the following day.
WATCH: Toronto police begin rollout of naloxone kits amid opioid crisis
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