Garland police will now be carrying doses of Narcan, the drug often used to negate the effects opioid overdoses.
This week, the city council appropriated $15,000 to buy up to 300 doses.
Garland Police Lieutenant Pedro Barineau says the city's firefighters and paramedics have been carrying Narcan in their kits for years. But this will be the first time for police officers who be able to administer the spray when they are the first ones on the scene.
Experts say Narcan cannot cause an overdose. It temporarily reverses the potentially deadly reaction caused by opioids.