New Southington Opioid Program Stressing Treatment Over Jail Time

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Southington police have signed on with a new program stressing treatment and not jail time for some opioid offenders.

The program was announced Monday in partnership with several other departments, including Berlin, New Britain and Newington, and agencies such as The Hospital of Central Connecticut, The Hospital of Central Connecticut at Bradley Memorial Hospital, Hartford HealthCare Behavioral Health Network, Southington STEPS Coalition, American Medical Response, Southington Fire Department and the State’s Attorney’s Office.

Through what is dubbed the H.O.P.E. (Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education) initiative, local law enforcement officers will have discretion when they encounter an individual "struggling with addiction on the street." Officers can forgo a possession or paraphernalia charge in order to get a person into treatment, police said.

If the person has an arrest pending, that charge will be dealt with first, police said. The H.O.P.E. program offers officers "a new tool that will aid them with providing assistance to individuals looking for a path to recovery, utilizing an alternative, coordinated pathway to treatment," according to a program description.

Through the H.O.P.E. initiative, officers who come in contact with heroin or opioid abusers will "encourage them to check into treatment without the fear of arrest," officials said.

According to the program, police and emergency responders will bring the offender to an emergency room, where he or she will be assessed for "appropriate treatment."