Cape Coral PD requested training and technical assistance to develop and implement an opioid program. BJA NTTAC referred this request to the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program TTA provider, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR).
The City of Cape Coral is located at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, on the Southwest Coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Lee County, Florida, 125 miles south of Tampa. Cape Coral is the second largest city in Florida by land mass, with 120 square miles with over 400 miles of canals. The City of Cape Coral’s 2016 estimated population is 179,804, which is a 16.7% increase from the population census in 2010. It is the most populated city in Southwest Florida and the 10th most populous city in Florida. In a recent study by WalletHub, 2017’s Fastest-Growing Cities in America, Cape Coral was ranked as the 15th fastest growing city in the United States of America. This does not account for the increase in population of seasonal residents that live in Cape Coral six months out of the year. Per the American City Business Journal, “Cape Coral may have a population close to 420,000 by 2040.”
Over the past couple of years, the nation has been experiencing an opioid epidemic; Cape Coral is not immune from this crisis. In 2016, the Cape Coral Police Department responded to 38 non-fatal opioid overdoses. In 2017, that number shot up to 94. Within the first six months of 2018, the Department responded to 112 nonfatal opioid overdoses. Fatal overdoses have doubled between 2015 and 2017, going from 20 to 40. Although these numbers are not as high as the nonfatal numbers, the Department contributes that to the use of Naloxone by our emergency medical services (EMS). Note, these stats do not include fatal and nonfatal overdoses, that law enforcement is not called on. If an overdose is dispatched as a ‘medical call’, not knowing it is an overdose, only EMS and fire responds. When a person who is overdosing is dropped off at the hospital, law enforcement is not called unless there is a need for an officer. The Department is working with EMS to obtain their nonfatal and fatal opioid numbers to get a clearer picture of the problem. Obtaining the hospital’s numbers has proven more difficult. Unfortunately, there is not one central database that law enforcement, fire, EMS and the hospital system use to track overdoses. The Department is working on the law enforcement/hospital relationship to obtain their data, in an effort to get a true picture of the opioid problem.
Currently, Cape Coral, and Lee County as a whole does not have an opioid program to address not only the education, prevention component but the treatment component as well. Currently, the Department’s role is enforcement and live-saving in partnership with EMS. The Department has a narcotics unit addressing the intelligence and enforcement, however, drug buys don’t normally happen on the street corner. Buys tend to be done at residences, requiring tips from the community, and months of surveillance before an arrest can be made. However, arresting someone that is using drugs is not necessarily going to stop them from using. Drug users need treatment and case management. In the meantime, patrol officers continue to respond to overdose calls for service. There have been several conversations among key players within the County to implement an opioid program, however, it just has not materialized. It has been decided that the City of Cape Coral needs to move forward with implementing programming to address the opioid problem in the City. It is anticipated that upon the City getting a program up and running, the rest of the County will follow suit.
In order to implement an opioid program, the Department is in need of guidance, training, and direction.
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In June 2018, the Department reached out to the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) seeking guidance relating to the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP). On June 28, 2018, Department employees took part in a conference call with Jac Charlier from Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) and Andrew Klein with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP). The City’s demographics, perceived roadblocks, and opioid programming that is being done around the country were discussed. At that time it was suggested that our Department seek TTA from BJA to assist the Department in starting an opioid program in Cape Coral. It is believed that with the assistance of BJA TTA, Cape Coral can successfully implement an opioid program, being a leader in Southwest Florida.