Federal officials have developed a new tool to fight the opioid epidemic: Data.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program is using a web portal called the "OD Map." The tool lets law enforcement track areas where overdoses happen in real time so they can respond faster.
Using a mobile device, when police encounter an overdose victim, the tool asks for three pieces of information:
1. Where the overdose happened
2. If they administered naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an overdose
3. Whether it was fatal
The OD Map also lets police track the origins of deadly batches to warn users and build cases against traffickers.
Most Bay Area law enforcement aren't on board with the new tool. Statewide, just 16 agencies are currently signed up for the new program.
