FARGO, N.D. — Fargo recorded more drug overdoses in 2025 than in any year since the city began tracking the data more than five years ago.
Police Chief David Zibolski said officers responded to 169 overdoses in 2025, including 29 fatal cases. That’s up from 108 overdoses in 2024.
“And there’s nothing in the last five years even close to this 169 number,” Zibolski said.
He attributed much of the increase to fentanyl and methamphetamine, saying the crisis is affecting people of all ages, races and genders.
“The demographics almost encompass everybody,” Zibolski said. “It’s an across-the-board issue.”
While the department continues to focus on drug seizures and criminal investigations, Zibolski said enforcement alone will not solve the problem.
“Investigations and enforcement are one piece of it, but there has to be something significant on the ‘how do you treat addiction’ side of the house,” he said. “When you’re talking about fentanyl and things that are so physiologically addicting, the likelihood for someone to go through outpatient treatment and be successful is not a lot.”
Zibolski also pointed to a rise in mental health-related calls. In 2025, Fargo police handled 4,353 such calls for service, totaling 3,668 officer hours.
“This is a significant issue that seems to have left the conversation after the last legislative session, but we really need some type of valid mental health facility for people with chronic issues,” Zibolski said. “We have folks in our city, in our area, who have chronic enough issues that they are unable to properly address them on their own.”
Zibolski said a core group accounts for many of the routine calls for service and often never receives the help they need.
“We really need some help with that here in our Fargo area because our officers deal with this routinely and regularly,” Zibolski said. “It’s not good for them or the people who suffer from these mental health issues. It’s not good for the community.”
The news comes as the Fargo Resource and Recovery Center relocates to a larger facility. According to a report by WZFG, some members of the public opposed the move, arguing that the new location is less accessible for people experiencing homelessness.
Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney said the new model aims to expand services, connect more people to mental health and addiction treatment, and create a framework that could be replicated elsewhere in the state.
“I think it’s a new opportunity to provide a little more space to address some of the harm reduction efforts and to create more partnerships with our department as well. It’s close to our building as well as the New Life Center. I think that’s a good starting point for some of the other things from a harm reduction standpoint we’d like to explore with some of the homeless folks,” Zibolski said, according to Valley News Live.
