In recent months, local law
enforcement agencies have been hosting public meetings to talk about the
opioid/heroin epidemic and what they, along with local social service agencies,
are doing to get the homeless off the streets, addicts into treatment, and help
for the mentally ill.
One meeting, held last week on
Tuesday, July 18, at the Snohomish County PUD auditorium, showcased a number of
programs in Snohomish County and King County that try to accomplish these goals
each with their own approaches.
Hosted by the City of Everett,
the forum included representatives from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office,
Everett Police Department, City of Shoreline and King County.
One in five heroin deaths in the
state of Washington occur in Snohomish County. During the period of 2002 to
2013 overdose deaths from heroin have quadrupled nationwide. Also, nationally,
3,600 people start abusing opioids each day.
Several speakers mentioned that
addicts have to be ready for treatment before they will agree to go into a
treatment plan. And having that attitude can be a fleeting mental condition.
According to Sheriff Ty Trenary, “A referral and a waiting list does not work.”
You have to take them right away to a treatment center.
The Everett Police Department, as
well as the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, have introduced Law Enforcement
Embedded Social Workers into their operations. The social workers team up with
patrol officers and patrol deputies to make contact with homeless individuals.
The social workers often add an element of trust that law enforcement personnel
do not have with the homeless. Once trust is established, when someone who is
addicted or is in need of mental health help is ready, the social worker can
help to find the right treatment program for them.
The social worker makes the calls
and the arrangements for the client. This can include a myriad of details to
include stable housing, signing up for Medicaid, contacting family, as well as
finding treatment. The social worker works through the bureaucracy for the
client. A daunting task for the average person much less someone facing
addiction or mental health problems.
Two other programs, under
Everett’s Safe Streets Plan, include PAARI (Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery
Initiative) and CHART (CHronic-Utilizer Alternative Response Team).
Under PAARI the police department
partners with Providence Regional Medical Center Everett and Pioneer Human
Services in Skagit County to provide short term detox to individuals who are
seeking help to end their addiction habit before they are admitted into
long-term recovery. For more information, go to https://everettwa.gov/1528/PAARI-addiction-initiative
and http://myeverettnews.com/2016/05/25/26222/.
CHART attempts to identify
individuals who repeatedly use emergency rooms, crisis care facilities, legal
services, and the criminal justice system, to develop a plan with the individual
to find a way to break the cycle of the revolving door of jail or the ER. This
article from My Everett News gives a good example of how CHART works: http://myeverettnews.com/2015/12/16/chart-chronic-utilizer-alternative-response-team/.
For more information about the
Everett Safe Streets Plan, go to https://everettwa.gov/1368/Everett-Safe-Streets-Plan
Members of two more programs
discussed how they operated at a forum held at the Snohomish County PUD held on
July 19.
The Shoreline Police Department
(which contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office for police services) has
a program called RADAR (Response Awareness De-escalation and Referral). Under RADAR,
police officers attempt to become aware of individuals with “behavioral health
issues” to develop individualized response plans in coordination with the
individual and their “circle of support” (family members, friends and
caretakers). Police utilize their training, including crisis intervention
training (CIT), to de-escalate any crisis situations. And finally, RADAR
officers make an effort to connect the individuals with health care, mental
health and fire services. For more about RADAR, go to http://www.smartpolicinginitiative.com/SPIsites/shoreline-washington
Seattle and King County have been
conducting a pilot program since 2011 called LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted
Diversion) focusing on Belltown in Seattle and the Skyway area in King County.
LEAD attempts to “divert low-level drug and prostitution offenders into
community-based treatment and support services” before taking the individual to
jail. The LEAD team coordinates closely with the community and with services
including housing, health care, job training, treatment and mental health. LEAD
involves a large team of government, community, and service organizations
including the Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, King
County Prosecutors Office, Washington State Department of Corrections, ACLU,
Evergreen Treatment Services, and many other community groups. For more
information about LEAD go to http://leadkingcounty.org/.
Each of the programs discussed at
the forum attempts to achieve a similar goal; prevent crime by helping at risk
individuals break the revolving door through jail or emergency rooms. Each
program has a different way that it approaches its effort. The common thread
among the programs, whether they be from Snohomish County, Everett or King
County, is local law enforcement agencies work closely with at risk
individuals, social service agencies, and treatment and mental health
professionals to help the individual achieve a stable, productive life.
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