Berkeley police use Narcan to revive unresponsive man

Berkeley police officers who were driving in the downtown area Friday afternoon revived an unresponsive man by administering Narcan twice, authorities report.

The officers, part of BPD's Bike Force unit, were driving on Shattuck Avenue when they saw a man who appeared to be passed out in a parking strip in front of Berkeley Luggage, at 2221 Shattuck Ave. (near Kittredge Street) shortly before 1 p.m.

The officers pulled over to see if the man was all right and quickly realized he needed help, BPD said in response to a Berkeley Scanner inquiry.

At one point, the man was able to tell the officers that he had taken fentanyl. Police spoke to him, urging him to stay awake, and rubbed his body to keep him breathing.

Berkeley police officers ultimately administered two doses of Narcan and were able to revive the man until the Berkeley Fire Department arrived.

A community member told TBS she had been biking by when she saw police saving the man's life.

"I found it so impactful that I decided to do a U-turn and videotape," she told The Berkeley Scanner by email. She shared a brief video of what she saw, adding: "Hats off to our hard workers in blue."

With the increasing number of fentanyl-related overdoses and deaths, many Berkeley police officers now carry Narcan so they can administer aid when the need arises.

Berkeley police began carrying Narcan in 2018, which they reported in a Nixle alert in August of that year.

"Due to the increase in opioid abuse and overdoses in the past several years, many law enforcement agencies have started Naloxone (Narcan) programs," BPD wrote. "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 115 Americans die every day from opioid overdoses.  Agencies equipped with Narcan have been able to provide the lifesaving drug, which has reduced the number of fatal overdoses. This also allows officers the ability to quickly administer Narcan to each other in the event of accidental exposure."