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The only town in America where cops grant amnesty to drug addicts seeking help
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Washington Post
Posted: August 23rd, 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/08/...
Leonard Campanello ... posts frequent Gloucester Police Chief Updates to the police departments Facebook page. Since January of this year, we have responded to dozens of opiate-related overdoses and, unfortunately, the City has seen 4 deaths in this time that are heroin related, he wrote [on March 6], adding: 4 deaths is 4 too many. He continued: If you are a user of opiates or heroin, let us help you. We know you do not want this addiction. We have resources here in the City that can and will make a difference in your life. Do not become a statistic. The post collected 1,226 likes and more page views than there were people in the city. The community, he said, was hungry for different ideas. The war on drugs is over, Campanello said in an interview. And we lost. There is no way we can arrest our way out of this. Weve been trying that for 50 years. The only thing that has happened is heroin has become cheaper and more people are dying. He now wanted to turn Gloucesters police station into an oasis of amnesty in the drug addicts perilous world. No heroin addict who entered the police seeking help unless they had outstanding warrants would face charges or arrest. Even if they toted their drugs and paraphernalia. Instead, they would get help. In another Facebook post in early May, he laid it out. Things then happened fast. The force opened a non-profit called the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative. So far, Campanello said, 109 addicts have sought help at the police station.
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