Fernandina Beach Police Department
James T. Hurley, Chief
Press Release
www.fbpd.us
February 27, 2019 4:00 p.m.
Throughout the United States drug overdoses are killing thousands of people every year, including 64,070 in 2016, and an estimated 70,237 last year, the two worst years for drug overdose deaths in our nation’s history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that opiates are claiming an average of 130 lives a day in the United States, and some independent studies suggest that this epidemic may not peak until 2022 or later.
Just one opioid overdose death occurred in Fernandina Beach last year, but local officials agree that one death caused by this insidious scourge is one too many. In all of Nassau County fourteen (14) opioid overdose deaths were recorded in 2018. Single drug overdoses and multi-drug toxicity deaths are nothing new to our area, although there is hope that this crisis is finally getting the attention it deserves, in large part due to new strategies emerging to combat this epidemic on several fronts.
Immediately after her election in November, Attorney General-Elect Ashley Moody asked Fernandina Beach Police Chief Jim Hurley to serve on her Transition Advisory Committee, and then selected him and six others to form her statewide Opioid Working Group, which is chaired by Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma. The group has been working for nearly two months to identify and solicit input from stakeholders around the seven Florida RDSTF regions. Chief Hurley was selected to Chair Region two which encompasses thirteen panhandle and big bend counties.
The group is tasked with making recommendations to the Attorney General regarding best practices, model programs and creative approaches for the many facets of enforcement, regulation, treatment, legislation and funding options to combat the crisis. For the past two months the group has been studying many best practices being used around the country to fight the opioid epidemic, to include a range of enforcement issues, educational campaigns, collaborative efforts, effective legislation, treatment issues, the potential uses of Buprenorphine, (used to treat dependence and addiction), Naloxone/Narcan when administered by law enforcement and corrections personnel to safely reverse the effects of an opioid overdose during critical moments, various multi-discipline outreach programs to encourage treatment options for addicts, strategies designed to reduce the opioid prescription rate to pre-epidemic levels, the relationship between prescribed opioids and heroin, and the link between fentanyl (a class of synthetic opioids) and the increase in overdose deaths, are among several areas of discussion. The group hopes that these discussions will lead to a comprehensive strategy that may help to reverse the opioid crisis.
Meanwhile, Florida’s current opioid litigation aims to hold responsible the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies for their role in causing the deadly crisis and Attorney General Moody has pledged to stay actively and purposefully engaged in the litigation. She has already moved quickly to seek legislation to establish a Statewide Task Force on Opioid Drug Abuse.
The Opioid Working Group surveyed law enforcement officials throughout the state to determine baseline information and to solicit model program ideas and contact information for content experts in a variety of disciplines. Meetings and conference calls are ongoing and the group hopes to make initial recommendations to the Attorney General by the end of the month. It is believed that breaking down traditional biases, while partnering with social workers and other stakeholders, is a critical component moving forward, as well as proper intake screening at detention facilities, hospitals, social service organizations, and a variety of other locations that will play a crucial role in the success of these efforts. Various foundational reports, such as those from the Florida Medical Examiners and the Police Executive Research Forum, and several articles related to the opioid epidemic, were gathered and made available to the Opioid Working Group, and are available to the public upon request.
All public service organizations recognize that their most significant responsibility is to do everything within reason to protect citizens from physical harm. Our current opioid crisis has had a monumental and detrimental impact on our society and has affected families across this country. A day does not go by without a friend, coworker, acquaintance, or family member being adversely affected by this epidemic. It is time for a comprehensive approach to problem-solving this epidemic and for putting an end to this heartache.
Congratulations Chief Hurley for your appointment and for being selected to chair Region 2. I know your leadership and the efforts of your colleagues across the state will result in positive progress in addressing this growing progress. The numbers are staggering and the estimated increase from 2016 truly shows the epidemic this has become.