Emily Brown
Bodycam footage released by police in Florida caught the harrowing moment one of their own officers seemingly 'overdosed' on fentanyl during a routine traffic stop.
Police often release bodycam footage of incidents to shed light on the behavior of criminals, but in this instance, the camera was firmly pointed at Officer Courtney Bannick of the Tavares Police Department.
Bannick had been one of the officers conducting a routine traffic stop in December 2022 when she encountered a driver who had fentanyl rolled up in a dollar bill.
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The officer, who had been interrogating the passenger, wore gloves as she handled the drug, but they apparently weren't enough to offer protection from the illegal substance.
Bannick lost consciousness and passed out in the middle of a road, leaving her fighting for her life.
Officers attempted to slowly wake her up by tapping her face very lightly.
"She's not breathing, Ronnie, hit her again," one officer said.
Thankfully, Bannick did wake up from the apparent overdose.
Speaking to FOX35 Orlando in the wake of the incident, fellow officer Courtney Sullivan said: "She was completely lifeless, she looked deceased in these videos. So she is very thankful today.
"If the other officers weren’t there, there’s a very high chance and probability that today would be different and that we would be wearing our thin blue line – the straps that go over our badges."
Bannick acknowledged the dangers of handling drugs when she spoke out afterwards, saying: "I have done this 100 times before the same way.
"It only takes one time and a minimal amount. I’m thankful I wasn’t alone and had immediate help."
At the time, the individuals in the vehicle faced possible felony charges.
In 2023, experts interviewed by NPR said police are suffering severe medical symptoms after touching or inhaling powdered fentanyl 'every few weeks'.
However, in spite of Bannick's experience, these experts claimed officers weren't actually experiencing fentanyl or opioid overdoses.
"This has never happened," said Dr. Ryan Marino, a toxicologist and emergency room physician who studies addiction at Case Western Reserve University. "There has never been an overdose through skin contact or accidentally inhaling fentanyl."
"Fentanyl does not pass through the skin efficiently or well," Marino continued. "The dry powder form that's encountered in street drugs is not going to pass through the skin in any meaningful way."
"There's never been a toxicologically confirmed case," said Brandon Del Pozo, a former police chief who studies addiction and drug policy at Brown University. "The idea of it hanging in the air and getting breathed in is highly highly implausible - it's nearly impossible."