Originally published by postandcourier
The extended silence regarding the proper use of ketamine — which played a role in the October 2019 death of a Mount Pleasant man who was injected with it after resisting police officers — gives us little comfort that authorities are learning what they should to reduce the likelihood of future tragedies.
Here’s what we know: Jamie Britt, 50, died in Mount Pleasant after he resisted police officers who had stopped to check on him while he was changing a tire near the entrance to the Snee Farm subdivision. Mr. Britt was seen urinating, and when officers arrived, he became combative and was subdued. Paramedics arrived later and injected him with 500 milligrams of ketamine, a powerful tranquilizer. The coroner’s office ruled his death a homicide caused primarily by “restraint asphyxia and toxic effects of ketamine.” In September, the town of Mount Pleasant and its insurer agreed to pay $3 million to Mr. Britt’s family; a claim against Charleston County, which employed the paramedic who administered the shot, is still pending. The paramedic who administered the shot has talked about how the “needless death” still haunts him.
Here’s what we don’t know: Will Charleston County or state health officials change their guidelines for administering the drug? Is it acceptable that Charleston County paramedics are far more likely to inject it than are paramedics in other South Carolina counties? If the drug is still deemed to be a worthwhile tool for paramedics to administer, do they need more guidance when doing so?
Aside from Mount Pleasant’s settlement, there’s been a disappointing silence surrounding the case. The State Law Enforcement Division forwarded its investigation to the state attorney general’s office, but a spokesman there would only say the case is ongoing. Charleston County officials, too, are saying little.
Ketamine’s use by paramedics has more than doubled in South Carolina since it was first authorized about four years ago, and Charleston County has used it far more often than comparable-size counties in the state.
Fortunately, there has not been another high-profile death linked to ketamine in South Carolina. But that gives us little comfort because the unresolved legal liability over Mr. Britt’s death could be delaying a needed public reckoning over the drug’s use.
There’s no question that police and paramedics often have a difficult, largely thankless job in dealing with people who are belligerent or intoxicated (or both). They often must weigh rules and regulations against danger in mere seconds. But officers and paramedics also are only as good as their training, and when it comes to setting guidelines for using a relatively new drug such as ketamine, that training might be far from perfect at the start.
The goal of first responders must be to deescalate potentially violent encounters as effectively as possible, not necessarily as quickly as possible. The drug ketamine may still be deemed safe — in medical circles, it’s seen as a breakthrough in treating severe depressions — or maybe it should not be used on people who are drunk or high or who suffer from certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure. Ultimately, the legacy of Mr. Britt might point less to the future use of ketamine than to the need for better police methods to deal with enraged people. The sooner we know, the safer we’ll all be.
