Morristown Bureau of Police Join Hope One-Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) Launched in April By the Morris County Sheriff's Office
Published on June 26, 2019
The Morristown Bureau of Police became the seventh law enforcement agency in Morris County on Tuesday, June 25th, to participate in Hope One-PAARI (Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative) that was launched in April by the Morris County Sheriff's Office.
Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran, Morris County Sheriff's Office Corporal Erica Valvano, and Morristown Acting Police Chief Darnell Richardson on June 25, when the town Bureau of Police joined the Hope One-Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative.
It is essential that all citizens of the Town of Morristown be aware of the importance of drug addiction and crime prevention programs and the impact that addiction recovery and advocacy will have on their quality of life as well as reducing crime, drugs, and violence in the Town of Morristown, reads a portion of a Town Council proclamation that supports the Morristown Bureau of Police participation in PAARI.
Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon
Morris County Sheriff's Office Corporal Erica Valvano, who oversees PAARI and the Hope One mobile substance use outreach vehicle for the office, presented Morristown Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty with a PAARI placard at the meeting, on behalf of Sheriff James M. Gannon.
It is tremendous that Morristown Police, who keep the peace in our county seat, have partnered with the Sheriff's Office and other participating law enforcement agencies in assisting, with empathy, people in our community who are battling the ferocious disease of opioid addiction, Sheriff Gannon said.
Morristown Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty and Morris County Sheriff's Officer Erica Valvano. In back, Acting Morristown Police Chief Darnell Richardson and Morristown Public Safety Director Michael Corcoran.
The PAARI program is designed to give individuals with substance use disorders a safe and stigma-free way to seek help for their addiction at a local police department. Individuals who voluntarily walk into participating police departments and request help for their substance use disorder are screened by a trained police officer and assisted by a Daytop New Jersey certified Peer Recovery Specialist in obtaining treatment and recovery services.
Morristown Police Sergeant Chris Oakley is the Bureau's designated lead PAARI officer and additional police officers are in the process of being trained.
The Morris County Sheriff's Office was the first Sheriff's Office in New Jersey to join PAARI, which is offered by more than 400 police departments in 32 states. Individuals are welcome to walk into the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown, where the Sheriff's Office is situated, and request assistance with their substance use addiction.
The Butler, Morris Plains, Mount Olive, Rockaway Borough and Washington Township Police Departments also are participating in PAARI.