EAST BRIDGEWATER — Chief Scott Allen was among the dozens of police leaders and addiction recovery experts who attended the inaugural National Law Enforcement Summit last week in Boston.
The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative’s summit brought law enforcement representatives from around the country together to share the work they’ve been doing to combat opioid addiction in their communities, and Chief Allen and his Plymouth County Outreach (PCO) partners presented about their efforts.
The East Bridgewater Police Department is among 28 departments that have joined together to provide those suffering from substance abuse disorders with the resources they need to overcome addiction. PCO’s model relies on countywide information sharing among departments, and uses home visits by police and recovery coaches with overdose victims in order to help direct them into treatment just hours after overdose events.
Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Joe Kennedy III both spoke at the summit and praised the work law enforcement agencies have done to change the conversation around addiction and direct those battling it toward treatment rather than incarceration.