Officer Steven Camara (left) was presented with the Stoughton Police Department’s Lifesaving Medal by Acting Chief Brian Holmes on Tuesday, Oct. 4 during the Stoughton Select Board meeting. (Photo courtesy Stoughton Police Department) 
Acting Chief Brian Holmes (right) presents Officer Steven Camara with a written citation on Tuesday, Oct. 4 during the Stoughton Select Board meeting in recognition of his lifesaving actions. (Photo courtesy Stoughton Police Department) 
Officer Steven Camara (left) is presented with the Stoughton Police Department’s Lifesaving Medal on Tuesday, Oct. 4 during the Stoughton Select Board meeting. (Photo courtesy Stoughton Police Department) 
Acting Chief Brian Holmes (right) speaks on Tuesday, Oct. 4 during the Stoughton Select Board meeting about Officer Steven Camara’s actions to save the life of an overdose victim on Oct. 1. (Photo courtesy Stoughton Police Department)
STOUGHTON — Acting Police Chief Brian Holmes is pleased to announce that Officer Steven Camara was recognized with the department’s Lifesaving Medal Tuesday evening.
Officer Camara was recognized by Acting Chief Holmes at Tuesday’s Select Board meeting at Stoughton Town Hall, with other members of the department also in attendance.
The Lifesaving Medal recognizes officers who through direct medical intervention or other measures, are responsible for saving a life. Recipients of the award receive a written citation, a plaque and a uniform ribbon designated as a lifesaving medal.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, while en route to assist another officer, Officer Camara observed a lone vehicle in the parking lot of a closed business. When he was called off from the call for assistance a short time later, he returned to the parking lot to check on the vehicle. He observed that the driver’s door to the vehicle was open and that the operator of the vehicle was unresponsive inside.
Officer Camara immediately requested EMS and assessed the driver. He determined that the man was likely suffering an overdose, administered Narcan and maintained a consistent level of patient care until paramedics arrived. The man was transported to the hospital and later released.
“Without Officer Camara’s observation skills and diligence in following up on something that didn’t appear right, and his quick decision-making and action in providing immediate care, the victim may not have survived,” Acting Chief Holmes said. “Officer Camara’s efforts are a credit to himself and to the Stoughton Police Department, and we are pleased to recognize him with our Lifesaving Medal.”
All Stoughton Police officers carry nasal Naloxone (Narcan) in their cruisers, and the department was the first in the state to establish its own Narcan administration program outside of the state’s pilot program several years ago. Narcan, an opioid antagonist, can quickly reverse the effects of a potentially fatal painkiller or heroin overdose by binding to opioid receptors and reversing or blocking the effects of other opioids, quickly restoring normal breathing. Narcan is not dangerous if administered to a person who is not overdosing and it has no potential for abuse.
In November 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that overdose deaths in the U.S. had for the first time exceeded 100,000 in a single calendar year, an increase of 28.5% from the same period the previous year. Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, also increased in the 12-month period.
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