Wareham Police respond to 38 overdose calls in March, 7 fatal

Since March 1, 2020 the Wareham Police Department has responded to 38 overdose calls with seven of them being fatal. The following is a list of officers who administered Narcan at overdose calls during this time period. Narcan is a nasal spray carried by Wareham Police officers used for the treatment of an opioid emergency or overdose.

• Officer Jennifer Braley
• Officer Joseph Cardoza (twice, on two separate incidents)
• Officer Blaise Lalli
• Officer James White
• Juvenile Detective Karl Baptiste
• Officer Stephen Harrison
• Officer Scott Cowan (twice, on two separate incidents)
• Officer Charles Pillsbury
• Officer Michael Phinney (twice, on two separate incidents)
• Officer Nate Aronson
• Sergeant Kevin Reilly

The following officers performed Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and or provided rescue breathing for people suspected of overdosing, since March 1.

• Officer Eric Machado
• Officer Charles Pillsbury
• Officer Ryan Gomes
• Officer James White
• Officer Nate Aronson
• Sergeant Daniel Flaherty
• Officer Blaise Lalli
• Officer Calib Larue
• Officer Jon Verhaegen
• Officer Jennifer Braley

Before any police or EMS units arrive on a scene, the dedicated and professional Communications officers of the Wareham Police Department performed Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD), to begin lifesaving procedures. This is accomplished by these officers giving step by step first-aid instructions over the telephone to anxious callers.

The following Communications officers performed EMD on several of the overdose calls;

• Communications Supervisor Edward Johnson (multiple times on different incidents)
• Communications Officer Judith Holleran (multiple times on different incidents)
• Communications Officer Scott McDaniel (multiple times on different incidents)
• Communications Officer Taylor Nelson (multiple times on different incidents)
• Communications Officer Nicolle Amaral (multiple times on different incidents)
• Communications Officer Christian Tobia
• Communications Officer Elizabeth Rich

Chief of Police John Walcek said, “As the result of these officers’ actions, combined with our communications team, it is highly likely lives were saved.” He added, “Our department acknowledges that the opioid crisis is still a major problem, and we will continue to do our part to lessen its intensity.”