Realizing that the majority of crimes committed in Scarborough are being driven by addiction-fueled desperation, the police department has decided a new approach is needed to assist those who turn to crime to fulfill their drug habit.
To that end on Oct. 1 the police department will launch its new Operation HOPE, or Heroin-Opiate Prevention Effort, program.
The program is designed to “place people struggling with addiction into a treatment facility, train police to (better) handle the drug epidemic and provide resources to help (those) struggling with the disease of addiction,” according to a department press release.
Police Chief Robert Moulton told the Current the town has “seen a significant increase in addiction-related issues” in the past couple years and that’s why his staff began asking the question: “How can we combat this differently?”
But Moulton was also quick to say that police would also not let up on their drug enforcement efforts, particularly against the “suppliers that are bringing this poison into our community. For them there is no mercy.”
On the other hand, Moulton said, “those stuck in the vicious cycle of addiction are deserving of help,” and that’s where Operation HOPE comes in.
Moulton said no tax dollars are being spent on the new program and that the police department will really be “acting as a conduit” between addicts who are seeking help and those that can provide the necessary assistance.
Under Operation HOPE, he said, “We’ll be there for those who’ve truly hit rock bottom and are willing to get help. These people are often estranged from their families and will do anything to buy their next bag of dope.”
Moulton said in the past year Scarborough first responders have dealt with one overdose death and at least 10 instances where addicts have required a dose of narcan, or naloxone, to save their lives.
The police department is also dealing with a rash of petty crimes among those seeking quick cash to feed their addiction, from rifling through unlocked cars to shoplifting, he said.
“This is happening every day,” Moulton said, “and those we interview are very honest about stealing to support a habit.”
What’s also driving the implementation of Operation HOPE, he said, is that “there’s a huge shift in the face of addiction. These days it can be anyone from a soccer mom to local businesspeople.”
Moulton added that the addiction epidemic being faced all across Maine and New England “stretches across all demographics. We’re seeing it everywhere.”
What the Scarborough Police Department is doing in response, he said, is “opening the door to get people the help they need.”
Moulton said what seems to be driving the current addiction cycle is that heroin is particularly cheap and easily available, as opposed to other illegal drugs.
In addition, he said, suppliers are also now mixing fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, with heroin, which is significantly upping the high someone can get, while also doubling the danger of an overdose.
“This is a scary situation. It’s truly a public health and safety issue,” Moulton said. “(Unfortunately addiction) is a disease that gets hold of people, who then make poor decisions.”
He admitted that while Operation HOPE may be a “bit of a leap of faith, if it saves just one life it’s worth doing.”
Moulton said he’s heard from a lot of people in the community since announcing Operation HOPE last week and said, “nobody is surprised this is an issue even in their hometown. Almost everyone I talk with has a story about someone they know who’s struggling with addiction.”
What is so frustrating to the police and public health officials, he added, is that “these addicts are generally nice, good, solid people who are trapped in a horrific situation.”
Moulton said that Operation HOPE is designed along the lines of a similar program that was recently introduced in Gloucester, Mass.
The program will include specialized training for Scarborough police officers, public education and outreach, drug turn-in without fear of arrest or charges, treatment assistance and treatment follow up.
In terms of recovery help for the addicts who request assistance, the Scarborough police will coordinate with the Portland Recovery Community Center, which is managed by Steve Cotreau.
This week Cotreau told the Current he’s thrilled with Operation HOPE and said it would “open up new avenues for treatment that were not available before.”
The recovery center is a peer-run facility offering support groups, as well as help “navigating through recovery,” Cotreau said. The center is funded with a federal grant and first opened up three years ago.
He said that “just by wanting to start a program, the Scarborough police are saying, ‘We care and are invested in getting people into recovery,’” which Cotreau said is an important message for addicts.
He also said that with Operation HOPE the stereotypes between law enforcement and addicts will be broken, and said the “biggest thing will be not focusing on the problem behaviors of addiction but on the individual.”
Cotreau also hopes that through Operation HOPE there will be “an increase in public awareness of the problem and the struggle,” which could then lead to “additional resources at all levels.”
The problem, he said, is that in terms of the heroin and opiate epidemic the focus, so far, has been on the public impact of addictive behavior and not on the addicts themselves.
“That’s not an accurate picture and doesn’t speak to their potential” if they can recover, Cotreau said.
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