Enid Police Remind Public About Good Samaritan Law As Overdose Calls Spike

An Oklahoma town is seeing an uptick in overdose calls. Now they’re reminding all of us about a law that can save someone’s life. 

Enid Police say many times people are hesitant to call 911 when they see an overdose because they don’t want to go to jail. 

“The last time, life EMS showed up, took the person to the hospital, there were several others on scene one of which that called. We did seize 3 bags of methamphetamine that was for personal use,” said Cass Rains with the Enid Police Department. 

He said it’s a call that is becoming all too common. 

“I think most law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma have seen an uptick in these types of overdose situations,” said Rains. 

Recently, the department has been responding to several overdose calls a month. 

“I believe it’s just the availability they are out there, they are easy to get, a lot of them aren’t very heavily regulated,” he said. 

He said manufactured opioids like fentanyl are becoming more common. Some people are too scared or hesitant to call police when they witness an overdose. 

“The sooner you deal with an overdose the better. That could help save or extend someone’s life until an ambulance or a paramedic is able to arrive,” said Rains. 

The department wants to remind people about an Oklahoma law that provides immunity to people who call 911 and request emergency medical attention during an overdose. 

“Thankfully officers have been able to deploy their Narcan and they have been able to keep those people alive until the medical personnel arrive on scene,” he said. 

Police said as long as the caller stays on scene and does not possess a trafficking amount of opioids, they will be granted immunity. 

“We’re more interested in saving a life than making an arrest,” said Rains. 

The Oklahoma State Department of Health said Oklahoma did see a 30% increase in drug-related deaths from 2019-2020.