NCPD issues Overdose Spike Alert, uses ODMAP technology to track cases
NCPD issues Overdose Spike Alert, uses ODMAP technology to track cases
Publish Date: 2026-05-12 18:38:00
Source Domain: abcnews4.com
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — North Charleston police issued a rare overdose spike alert this week after five overdoses were reported within a 24-hour period in a half-mile radius of the city, prompting an urgent push to deliver life-saving resources into the affected community.
The alert was generated through the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program, commonly known as ODMAP, a national system that allows law enforcement and emergency responders to track overdose incidents in near real time.
“If we have five in a 24-hour period within a half-mile radius, we need to go now,” said Shelby Joffrion, the Opioid Prevention Coordinator with the North Charleston Police Department. “That’s how we know it’s time to mobilize.”
READ MORE | Charleston County overdose deaths spike, raising alarm among advocates
ODMAP automatically receives overdose data from emergency medical services. Joffrion said she cross-references those reports with police data to identify patterns, locations and demographics associated with the cases.
“Once that spike alert comes out, it alerts us to start mobilizing,” Joffrion said. “It gives us a bigger picture of where outreach needs to happen and how we can best target resources.”
One of the department’s first responses following an alert is deploying naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, into the affected neighborhoods. Naloxone can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and is considered safe and easy to administer.
“Once we hear about the alerts and we go out into the community, we want to make sure that everyone has Narcan,” said Lani Jumper, Community Outreach Overdose Prevention Director with Wake Up Carolina. “It is 100% safe to use, and everyone should have it.”
Jumper said her work is deeply personal. She has struggled with substance use disorder herself and believes rapid access to help can be the difference between life and death.
“If we aren’t saving people’s lives, or at least…
