COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — An opioid task force in the Coeur d’Alene Police Department doesn’t officially start until Oct. 1, but it’s already on the job.
Police Chief Lee White said the task force is working on six separate overdose-type cases and has made presentations at schools.
“They’re doing good work already,” White said Tuesday.
Sgt. Eric Boardman, who is still on patrol duties, will lead the two-person task force approved by the Coeur d’Alene City Council in February. It will have an annual budget of about $260,000.
White said there were too many opioid incidents going on now to wait until task force members could commit to their new roles full time, so they are doing what they can part-time.
“It’s on a limited basis now,” he said.
White previously told the Coeur d’Alene City Council that police are trying to increase their efforts to combat opioids and drug abuse in the community.
Police received nearly 200 service calls last year for overdoses. Most were nonfatal, but many more go unreported.
“It’s no secret there’s a bit of an opioid problem in the United States,” White said. “The city of Coeur d’Alene has the same issue.”
To read more of this article, please visit our content partner, the Coeur d'Alene Press.
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