Following the tragic 2015 death of Elmhurst’s Annie LeGere due to prolonged anaphylactic shock caused by an allergic reaction, a new law was recently signed that seeks to prevent this from happening to others.
It is not uncommon for law enforcement officials to reach the scene of an emergency before trained health care personnel. In cases of anaphylactic shock, such as Annie’s, quickly administering an epinephrine injection via an auto-injector (EpiPen) can mean the difference between life and death. However, police officers do not often have epinephrine auto-injectors on-hand, nor have they been trained on how to administer the medication.
After learning this, the LeGere family worked with state lawmakers to expand law enforcement’s access to epinephrine so this life-saving treatment can be administered as quickly as possible in response to a life-threatening allergic reaction.
In response, Public Act 99-0711 allows law enforcement agencies to train officers on how to recognize and respond to anaphylaxis, and how to administer an epinephrine auto-injector in an emergency. The law also allows State Police or a local government agency to authorize officers to carry and administer epinephrine auto-injectors once they have completed the required training.