OPERATION HELPING HAND RESULTS IN THIRTY THREE ARRESTS AND THIRTY ONE ACCEPTING SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
"Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force Successfully Helps 31 Individuals Out Of 33 Individuals Arrested Enter Substance Abuse Treatment."
November 24, 2021 By John Elberger Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
PATERSON, NJ.- On Tuesday, November 23, 2021 Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announced the most recent results of "Operation Helping Hand" an innovated Law Enforcement and Public Health Initiative targeting the Opioid Crisis in Passaic County.
On Friday, November 19, 2021, Members of The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force concluded Operation Helping Hand, consisting of four one day Street Operations. A total of thirty three individuals were Arrested. The individuals Arrested were residents of Bergen, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Passaic Counties in New Jersey and Orange County in New York.
"Operation Helping Hand" demonstrates The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office commitment to combating the perils of Addiction by providing Substance Abuse Treatment as an alternative to Immediate Incarceration. Each individual Arrested during this initiative was privately screened by a peer recovery specialist from The Morris County Center for Addiction Recovery, Education and Success (CARES) in an effort to connect them with treatment and recovery services.
Thirty One of the individuals Arrested as a result of this operation accepted Substance Abuse Treatment. They either made arrangements to begin outpatient treatment at a later date or were transported directly to treatment facilities by a Member of Law Enforcement. Acceptance of treatment is not in lieu of Arrest. Rather, this process turns Law Enforcement encounters into an opportunity for individuals to turn their lives around and help break the cycle of addiction by connecting each individual with vital treatment, recovery, and support services.
With the collaborative effort of Law Enforcement and Substance Abuse Treatment Agencies, it is the mission of all those involved that the numbers afflicted with Opioid Addiction eventually decreases and those who once suffered from its grasp can lead fruitful, productive, and healthy lives.
FILED UNDER NOVEMBER 24, 2021: LAW, LOCAL: