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DPS Officer Uses Narcan To Help Prevent Potential Fatal Overdose

by Joe Barker on 02/22/2022

02/22/2022

An off-duty SLU DPS officer is being credited with helping to prevent a potential fatal drug overdose.

Officer Richard Horton was leaving work Monday, Feb. 7, and heading home when he saw a woman laying on the sidewalk along West Florissant Avenue. Horton realized the woman was unconscious and exhibiting the signs of someone suffering from an overdose. 

Horton instructed another person nearby to call for emergency assistance and then administered his SLU DPS-issued Narcan. SLU DPS officers began carrying Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses, in 2018.

EMS crews arrived and began administering assistance to the woman. She eventually regained consciousness and was able to breath on her own. Interim Assistant Director of Field Operations Mike Otten said the first responders on the scene credited Horton’s assistance. 

“Had it not been for Officer Horton's quick actions the woman would have likely died from the overdose,” Otten said. “Officer Horton displayed great compassion and his actions are to be commended.”

Before carrying it, officers were trained on how to properly administer Narcan. Otten said it was good to see the training play out in a real-world event.

“As a leader you do everything you can to provide your officers with the equipment and training to handle any situation,” he said. “You hope they never need to use it but prepare them to be successful if needed.”

Otten said Horton’s actions showcase the best of the department. 

“I love hearing about different examples of how our officers and dispatchers are living the mission of Saint Louis University, ‘for the greater good,’” Otten said. “What impresses me with our staff is how they go about their business and never focus on who gets credit, with them it's all about who gets the benefit. 

“Whether it's a student who needs assistance with getting their car started or something as major as what Officer Horton did our DPS Staff goes about their day professionally and with a humble attitude. I would never have known what Officer Horton did, had it not been for him asking for a replacement Narcan because he had to use his.”