Another police department is stepping up the fight against the opioid epidemic.
Alexandria is the latest police department to announce that each patrol officer will carry the overdose-fighting drug naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. About 275 Alexandria officers have been trained in its use so far, and all will complete training by the end of June.
Alexandria police say that drug overdoses have been the leading cause of unnatural death in Virginia since 2013, ahead of homicides, suicides and car crashes. The department said opioids have been the driving force behind the increase in deadly overdoses.
Officers at several other police agencies in the region currently carry naloxone.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in April that the city’s police officers are now equipped with the drug. About 500 officers are equipped with naloxone in Fairfax County, and about 200 carry it in Montgomery County.
