Pubdate: Wed, 10 Feb 2016
Source: Orange County Register, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Orange County Register
Contact:  http://www.ocregister.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/321
Author: Art Marroquin

POLICE WILL HELP ADDICTS RECOVER

ANAHEIM Drug addicts who are ready to kick their habit soon will be 
urged to seek out help from an unconventional new ally: the Police Department.

Mayor Tom Tait on Tuesday announced what he calls "Drug Free 
Anaheim," aimed at encouraging chronic drug users to walk into a 
police station in Orange County's most populous city and ask for help 
in exchange for a free ride to a rehabilitation center.

Anaheim appears to be the first California city to adopt the tactic, 
which Tait said puts the city's focus on helping users recover - 
rather than jailing them - while allowing police to enforce drug laws.

"From now on, drug addicts will be encouraged to come in and ask for 
help," Tait told more than 800 people gathered for his State of the 
City address at the City National Grove of Anaheim. "We will seek 
alternatives to prosecution and incarceration first."

Police Chief Raul Quezada is working out details on how to implement the plan.

Tait said the policy shift dovetails with the "kindness initiative" 
that he started nearly four years ago and which this past year 
involved bringing the Dalai Lama to his city.

Quezada compared it to how his officers deal with youths who commit 
minor crimes: by offering them the option of completing community 
service rather than being hauled away in handcuffs.

"It's pretty huge for someone who uses narcotics to come into the 
Police Department's doors and say that they want help," Quezada said. 
"We want to help them."

The approach, while unique to California, is based on one launched in 
June by police in Gloucester, Mass. More than 400 addicts have taken 
part in that city's Angel Program, which promises no charges or jail 
time if they seek help from police.

Since Gloucester's program launched, more than 50 police departments 
in 19 states have adopted similar programs, helping more than 500 
additional people, said John Guilfoil, a spokesman for the Gloucester 
Police Department. The program's success rate is still being studied.

"This focuses on turning a drug addiction into a health care issue," 
Guilfoil said. "Police are not responding with handcuffs, but by 
getting people the help that they need."

Anaheim City Councilwoman Kris Murray said Drug Free Anaheim could 
lead to a decrease in petty theft, vehicle break-ins and other crimes 
that some addicts commit as a way to pay for drugs.

"It's far less costly to the community and taxpayers if we can help 
people recover from their addictions than to deal with the petty 
crimes that support their addiction," Murray said.

Anaheim has more than 10 times the population of Gloucester, so the 
program will be adjusted, Quezada said.

Addicts wanted for other crimes, or those who show up at the police 
station intoxicated , will be arrested. Otherwise, people who want to 
get sober will be assisted by officers and representatives from 
CityNet, a Long Beach organization that connects homeless people to 
social services. The agency plans to renegotiate its $12,500 monthly 
contract with Anaheim, allowing it to link addicts with treatment 
centers in Orange County, said Gigi Zanganeh, CityNet's director of 
residential and outreach services.

Assistance from a community organization like CityNet would help 
allay an addict's distrust of police, said Elliott Currie, a 
professor at UC Irvine's Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

"Getting them to think the police is potentially their helper rather 
than their punisher will take some work," Currie said. "You want to 
make sure they trust the process and that they won't get busted."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom