Hellertown Police Now Carry Narcan

Hellertown police officers on patrol are now carrying emergency response kits that include a medication commonly used to reverse the effects of an opiate overdose, Police Chief Robert Shupp told borough council at a meeting Monday night.

Narcan, also known as Naloxone, can be used to treat a heroin overdose, for example.

It can be administered via injection or nasal spray, and has become a common tool in many police departments’ arsenal of weapons used to help combat a growing heroin epidemic in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

“Almost everybody has it now,” Shupp said, referring to other police departments in the area.

Shupp also announced at the meeting that turn arrows at the intersection of Main Street and Cherry Lane are now functioning properly, following work by PennDOT.

He told council he also plans to have a dialogue with PennDOT about the number of signs in the area of that intersection, which may be excessive and could be contributing to driver confusion, he said.