The device injects naloxone into the body, reversing the effects of opiates, or heroin. Watch video
HAMILTON - Amy Inman pulled a red protective cap off the top of a plastic box the size of a pack of cigarettes and the device started to announce instructions.
"To inject place black end against outer thigh, then press firmly and hold in place for five seconds," the device announced through a little speaker.
"You can do this against clothing," Inman said, as she forcefully pressed it against her right leg.
"We just saved a life," Inman said as she pulled it away.
The device injects naloxone into the body, reversing the effects of opiates, or heroin. It's the kind of devices police officers in Mercer County have used since last fall to treat heroin overdose victims.
Inman was using a training device -- without needles or the antidote -- but the Democratic candidate for Hamilton mayor publicly displayed how to use it Thursday at a press event she organized to keep heroin a topic of discussion.
"Heroin is one of the reasons I chose to run for municipal office," Inman said.
She said municipal government has a social obligation to keep the public informed and to implement ideas that will keep children safe.
Inman suggested that beyond government, every parent, administrator, school nurse, addict and teenager get certified and obtain a prescription for the antidote.
Inman said she attended a short class Wednesday to become certified in using the antidote, which she carries in her purse. The hardest thing about administering naloxone is pronouncing the name, she said. (It is often referred to by its brand name Narcan.)
"Issues that affect our community are not political," Inman said. "I am going to continue throughout this election to talk about the issues that we face in this township."
Inman said if elected, she'd instantly start a comprehensive program to combat heroin called Project SAVE (Substance Abuse Victimization Effort), which she learned about from the Gloucester Township police, which started it last summer.
The multi-faceted program attacks heroin from all possible public angles, including putting drug counselors in municipal court rooms.
ALSO: Mercer County police departments to get heroin overdose antidote
Joining Inman at the event at the Raymond Dwier community building in Groveville, was Joanne Bruno, a democrat running for township council. She displayed a bag of hypodermic needles she said she found in Apollo Park in Yardville Thursday, while walking her dog.
Inman did not make any allegations against Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede at the event, but she and other Democrats and Yaede critics say the mayor is not talking, nor doing enough about the scourge of heroin in Hamilton.
Inman pointed to a story in mercerspace.com that shows Hamilton police lead all Mercer towns in the number of times they used the Narcan antidote from Nov. 1, 2014 -- when police were issued the drug -- to July 15 of this year.
Hamilton officers used it 19 uses in that time, while Trenton, Ewing and Lawrence combined have used it 15 times and the other county towns combined also have 15 uses.
Inman said later Thursday that she believes Yaede "lacks ideas, and she's not being transparent with the community. It's not a fun subject to talk about."
But like a marriage, Inman said, one must address the good with the bad, and she believes the mayor should be more on topic with heroin.
Hamilton council candidate Joanne Bruno displays hypodermic needles she said she found in Apollo Park in Hamilton while walking her dog. (Kevin Shea | For NJ.com)Thursday afternoon, Yaede angrily said she has done plenty to combat drug use in Hamilton and while Inman gives press conferences, "I am addressing it."
On Monday, Yaede issued a statement in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day and said the township, as children prepare to return to school, will continue to combat substance abuse with programs like the Hamilton Alliance Against Substance Abuse (HAASA) and the police's L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs).
"Our children are our most precious asset; and that is why beginning as early as first grade, our Municipal Government works along with our schools to help keep our children safe by promoting healthy lifestyles," Yaede said in the statement.
On Thursday, Yaede said Inman is being political, Hamilton is suffering like the rest of the country, and the candidate did not mention that Hamilton's crime rate is the lowest in decades.
"Although they want to paint the picture that Hamilton is the only municipality with heroin deaths, it is a national issue," Yaede said. "Without question, the Democrats have chosen to denigrate their campaign by injecting politics into public safety."
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.