Vernal City Police Chief Michael Gledhill recently provided an update to Evans Family Media about the ongoing Fentanyl drug crisis. Chief Gledhill certainly has the background to speak to the subject as the former Drug Taskforce Commander for the Uintah Basin. “Unfortunately, the bad news is we’ve definitely seen an increase in Fentanyl in our community,” shares Chief Gledhill. “That is the reality. The number of Fentanyl pills have increased significantly. We are going after and building cases to go after those individuals that are distributing Fentanyl in our community.” Chief Gledhill explained that, generally speaking, the federal avenue with federal charges is pursued in cases of large Fentanyl seizures locally as there are stricter sentencing guidelines on a federal level. The overdose trend brought to light a year ago in the local community continues and local officers are equipped with Narcan to assist when possible. Chief Gledhill also says that having more community members trained to administer Narcan is helpful. Not only does it help with drug abuse related overdoses but it also saves lives in cases of accidental overdose of legitimate pain pill prescriptions. “Having it available is critical,” he says. “It saves time if you have Narcan right on scene rather than having to wait for law enforcement or Emergency Medical Services to arrive.”
