Lincoln Police Department adopts "Safe Passages" program for those with opioid addiction

[October 11, 2017]    LINCOLN  - The Lincoln Police Department is pleased to announce beginning Monday, October 9th, the department will implement the "Safe Passages" program for the purposes of providing a light at the end of the tunnel for those addicted to an opioid. Too many times heroin, or other opioid, overdoses have resulted in lives being cut short.

To help reduce the number of fatal and nonfatal overdoses in Lincoln, the department will change the way it handles addicts who request help with their addiction to opiates such as morphine, heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone as found in OxyContin®, Percocet®, and Percodan®, and hydrocodone as found in Vicodin®.

There are limited facilities in the central Illinois area to care for these individuals, and it is very difficult to gain admission to inpatient facilities. It is recognized that there is a narrow window; generally, 12 – 24 hours, to help a person addicted to opiates when they decide they want help. The purpose of this program is to divert them away from the criminal justice system and immediately into treatment.

With the strong support of Mayor Seth Goodman and the Lincoln City Council, the support of Police Chief Paul Adams, and with the support of the Logan County State’s Attorney Jonathon Wright, the City of Lincoln is adopting the Safe Passages Initiative to address the needs of any Logan County resident who comes into the Lincoln Police Department requesting help with their opiate addiction.

Beginning Monday, October 9, 2017, those that are addicted to an opioid simply need to come to the Lincoln Police Department, 911 Pekin St, Lincoln, to speak with an officer who will initiate the process.

A similar program was established by the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative in Massachusetts and was adopted in Illinois by the cities Dixon, Pekin, and several other agencies in the state.

In Lincoln and Logan County, this program is supported locally by the ALMH Community Health Collaborative (HCP) and the Logan County Opioid Taskforce.

The department is issuing a flyer with details about the program. A printable pdf version is posted with this news release. Everyone is encouraged to print the flyer, and have it available as a resource for those who may be looking for a way out of their addiction.

The program is specifically for those with an opioid addiction, and there are eligibility requirements associated with the program for the safety of those involved. Those requirements are outlined in the flyer.

Flyer:  Lincoln Police Department Safe Passages Initiative

[Paul Adams
Chief of Police
Lincoln Police Department]