Tampa officer collapses following fentanyl exposure: TPD

TAMPA, Fla. - A police officer with the city of Tampa has been released from the hospital after officials say he collapsed from fentanyl exposure on Thursday night.

According to the Tampa Police Department, the officer was conducting a narcotics investigation was testing a substance believed to be fentanyl.

Investigators say after the substance tested positive for fentanyl, the officer began to feel faint and dizzy and experienced numbness in his limbs while he was completing documentation in his car.

According to officials, those symptoms are all signs of fentanyl exposure.

After the officer got out of the vehicle, investigators say he collapsed and other police at the scene gave him a dose of Narcan, which lessened the exposure symptoms.

READ: Narcan is now available without a prescription: Here's where to find it

Authorities say the officer was taken to an are hospital where he was later released.

TPD says he did not suffer any long-term effects from the exposure.

"The threat that Fentanyl poses to the community, also affects our officers," said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. "It was because of officers' training and ability to quickly identify the exposure symptoms that a deadly situation was prevented. The officer's exposure is a stark reminder that even the most mundane tasks can result in a near-death experience."