North - Northwest Austin Edition | June 2023

HEALTH CARE Ocials ramping up fentanyl overdose prevention measures

A FENTANYL FORCE

BY GRANT CRAWFORD

Those members will respond to scenes where a death is suspected to be a result of a fentanyl overdose, and those suspected of committing fen- tanyl-related oenses will be charged locally and federally. “Our goal is to prosecute those that are killing in our community; our goal is to educate the community about the seriousness of this matter; and our goal is to oer rehabilitation services to help people get on the right track,” County Judge Bill Gravell said. This year, the sheri’s oce’s Orga- nized Crime Unit began arresting those who survive overdoses and charging them with possession. “So now the victim goes to jail if they won’t give up their drug dealer,” Gleason said. The unit has been involved in six arrests this year in reference to fentanyl-related deaths with three deaths being high school students in

The Central Texas Task Force Overdose Investigation Team was created with the purpose of educating the public about fentanyl, prosecuting those accused of distributing fentanyl and oering rehabilitation services to communities.

It can’t be detected by sight, taste or smell, and one pill can kill. This is the message Williamson County Sheri Mike Gleason, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and state and local law enforcement are trying to send as ocials have ramped up eorts in recent months to address a rise in fentanyl overdoses. “Fentanyl is a drug that does not allow you a second chance,” Gleason said. “You don’t get to wake up the next morning.” In early May, Williamson County commissioners approved an agree- ment among the DEA, the Department of Homeland Security, National Guard, the sheri’s oce and local law enforcement to form the Central Texas Task Force Overdose Investigation Team. Each member agency is contrib- uting personnel—who will be sworn in as federal law enforcement ocers.

Member agencies include:

Williamson County Sheri’s Oce

Drug Enforcement Administration

Department of Homeland Security

Other regional law enforcement oces

SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Williamson County, Gleason said. Williamson County saw 39 overdose deaths in 2022, while the sheri’s oce received around 390 calls to respond to fentanyl overdoses. These gures in Williamson County don’t represent the total number of incidents in the county as Gleason’s

department only records data from unincorporated areas. In all of Travis County there were 245 accidental fentanyl-related over- doses in 2022, up 58% from the 118 overdoses in 2021, according to data released April 26 by the Travis County medical examiner.

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NORTH NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • JUNE 2023