[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 135 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5455-S5456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE JEFFERSONTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT ANGEL PROGRAM

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have spoken many times on this floor 
about the threat that opioid abuse represents to our country. Rates of 
substance abuse have been on the rise in recent years, and Kentucky has 
been hit particularly hard by this epidemic. A recent State report from 
the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy said that, last year, over 
1,200 deaths in the Commonwealth were caused by drug abuse.
  Well, I am glad to share with my colleagues some good news in the 
fight against opioid abuse in Kentucky. This August, I visited with and 
saw up close a program that is changing how law enforcement deals with 
drug addiction, a program that is saving lives. It is the Jeffersontown 
Angel Program, an initiative spearheaded by the Jeffersontown, KY, 
Police Department.
  At the Jeffersontown Police Department, a priority has been placed on 
getting treatment for folks who request help for their addiction to 
opiates by connecting them with local treatment facilities. In many 
cases, those with substance-abuse disorders can be taken immediately to 
a treatment facility to start their recovery. People who abuse drugs 
can also turn over their drugs or drug equipment without being charged 
with a crime.
  The new Jeffersontown Police Department Angel Program is the first of 
its kind in Kentucky. It is modeled after a successful program launched 
in Gloucester, MA, in 2015, which has so far referred more than 450 
people to treatment and produced a 33 percent reduction in property 
crime rates.
  That evidence was enough to convince Jeffersontown Police Chief Ken 
Hatmaker. ``When you can have a 33 percent drop in property crime,'' he 
says, ``I'm going to listen.''
  While the Jeffersontown Police Department remains strenuously 
committed to investigating, pursuing, and arresting drug traffickers to 
the fullest extent of the law, the Angel Program helps reduce those 
traffickers' clientele by working to remove the stigma of addiction and 
making it easier to access recovery programs.
  Fighting drug abuse is a cause I have embraced here in the Senate as 
well, and it has been a focus of mine for many years. I have traveled 
throughout the Commonwealth speaking with people, learning about the 
scope of substance abuse in my State, and working with Kentuckians to 
combat it.
  A few years ago, I convened a listening session in northern Kentucky, 
a region particularly hard hit by this epidemic, to hear from informed 
Kentuckians in the medical, public health, and law-enforcement fields. 
I testified before the Senate's Drug Caucus to share my findings with 
my colleagues.
  I have also met with the Nation's Director of National Drug Control 
Policy--better known as the drug czar--and successfully persuaded him 
to visit Kentucky to see firsthand the damage done by drugs. His visit 
and greater Federal funding for law enforcement in Kentucky have both 
been a part of a multilayered strategy to stop drug trafficking.
  I also made it a priority to pass the Comprehensive Addiction and 
Recovery Act, or CARA, a bill I was proud to see recently signed into 
law. CARA is a comprehensive approach to tackling the opioid drug 
epidemic that bolsters treatment, prevention and recovery efforts, and 
gives law enforcement tools to help those already suffering with 
addiction and help prevent more senseless loss of life.
  CARA authorizes new grants for vital, lifesaving programs to help 
treat those suffering from drug addiction. It also includes several 
important policy reforms. It will expand treatment by giving 
prescribing authority to nurse practitioners and physician assistants 
to administer medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction. It 
will increase the availability of naloxone, which can instantly reverse 
a drug overdose, to law enforcement agencies and other first 
responders. And it will strengthen and enhance prescription drug 
monitoring programs to crack down on ``doctor shopping.''
  Substance abuse destroys lives. It increases crime, rips apart 
families, and leaves too many bodies in its wake. I want to commend the 
Jeffersontown Police Department for launching the Angel Program and 
leading the way in Kentucky in efforts to battle substance abuse. With 
the good work done by the Jeffersontown Police Department, along with 
the continued efforts we are doing here in Congress, I believe we can 
fight back against this scourge of addiction, and reduce its 
devastating effects.
  The Louisville Courier-Journal recently published an article 
describing the Jeffersontown Police Department's Angel Program. I ask 
unanimous consent that said article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

[[Page S5456]]

  


          [From The Louisville Courier Journal, Aug. 25, 2016]

               J-Town's New Strategy To Combat Addiction

                            (By Amanda Beam)

       Sgt. Brittney Garrett wants to save lives through changing 
     attitudes.
       Her influence can be seen in the waiting area inside the 
     Jeffersontown Police Department, the law-enforcement agency 
     for which she works. Pamphlets about overcoming substance 
     abuse and local addiction support groups can be found on most 
     every table there.
       This lobby welcomes with acceptance, not doubt, supporting 
     the revolutionary initiative Garrett has embraced.
       It's called The Angel Program, and it's redefining the way 
     law enforcement views drug addiction.
       Through cooperation with community partners, the initiative 
     gives resources to people searching for sobriety.
       During their intake hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday 
     through Friday, the J-Town PD serves as a conduit to connect 
     those who seek therapy for their addiction with providers who 
     can access and provide treatment for their needs. Folks, in 
     most cases, will be immediately taken to a treatment facility 
     to begin their recovery.
       People who use can also turn over drugs for disposal to the 
     police without fear of reprisal.
       ``The hard part isn't coming in,'' Garrett said of those 
     who enter the station to obtain assistance. ``The hard part 
     is getting through your treatment.''
       Certain exclusions do apply. If you have an active warrant, 
     a felony sex conviction, a violent history or are under 18 
     years old, you may not qualify. Garrett invites those with 
     questions to phone the station at (502) 267-0503.
       Since the program's August 1, 2016 start, seven people have 
     entered the program and been placed directly into residential 
     rehab facilities.
       No wait lists. No jail. No criminalization of their 
     illness. Just help is received.
       ``We have to find innovative ways to deal with the heroin 
     problem,'' said Garrett, the Angel Program Coordinator. ``A 
     lot of it comes down to just being empathetic, compassionate 
     and educated of what we're dealing with.''


                           A national scourge

       What J-Town and other communities across the nation are 
     dealing with is an epidemic. Heroin use continues to rise, 
     and overdoses soar. Jefferson County on average experiences 
     one overdose death each day.
       In addition to health concerns, crime has risen in the town 
     of about 27,000. Increased thefts, general incidence reports 
     and car accidents occur as ramifications of drug use. Garrett 
     has even seen an uptick in more serious offenses as well.
       ``Especially on the level of law enforcement, when you deal 
     with people with substance abuse disorder on the street, it's 
     always bad. It's never good. It's someone committing a 
     crime,'' Garrett said.
       ``It's hard for us to see the human side of addiction, that 
     you committed a crime because of your addiction.''
       But humanizing those with substance-abuse issues is a 
     hallmark of the program's creation.


                             The beginning

       The Gloucester Police Department in Massachusetts 
     established the now national initiative in 2015, with the aim 
     of targeting the demand side of the drug problem. Get help 
     for those who are addicted so they stop using, and both 
     supply and crime should go down too. Furthermore, law-
     enforcement agencies would face less strain on their limited 
     resources, and be able to concentrate on serious criminal 
     cases.
       Not only did they find these actions more compassionate, 
     but also more successful.
       So far, roughly 400 people have been referred to treatment 
     facilities through the Gloucester program. As predicted, 
     drug-related crimes in the surrounding area fell by more than 
     30 percent. Costs for treatment also fall far below the price 
     of housing prisoners, providing another incentive.
       ``If you have a choice between a bed in incarceration, or a 
     bed in treatment, I'm for the bed in treatment,'' said 
     Jeffersontown Police Chief Ken Hatmaker.
       Enforcement still remains important, he added. When people 
     break the law, consequences must be faced.
       But providing treatment opportunities to those suffering 
     from substance-use disorder can stop many of the more serious 
     crimes from happening in the first place, a balancing act 
     between service and enforcement that Hatmaker has learned to 
     embrace.
       ``That's what it took for me to buy in was the education,'' 
     the chief said. ``When you can have a 33 percent drop in 
     property crime, I'm going to listen.''


                               The impact

       Changing perceptions isn't always easy for law enforcement 
     or those who find themselves addicted. At times, both face 
     stereotypes. The program aims to correct these biases and 
     facilitate greater communication between the police 
     department and the larger community.
       ``People tend to believe that (substance-abuse disorder) is 
     a moral failing, that people chose to have a life of 
     destruction, which couldn't be further from the truth,'' said 
     Tara Moseley, a recovery advocate and Angel Program 
     volunteer.
       Moseley understands the impact of addiction. For more than 
     five years, the 30-year-old Louisville resident has been in 
     recovery. Now, through her work in organizations like Young 
     People in Recovery and the Angel Program, she tells others 
     with the illness that better days can be in their future.
       ``People need to know there is a way out and that there is 
     hope,'' she said. ``A program like the Angel Program, they 
     actually do all that stuff for you. They're going to help you 
     and take you where you need to go and make sure you are in 
     somewhere and it's right now.''
       The immediacy of the initiative plays a key role in its 
     ingenuity. Those seeking assistance oftentimes face long wait 
     lists to get into residential treatment. Not so with the 
     Angel Program.
       ``Unfortunately, as it relates to the drugs of choice 
     today, it's very possible they are risking their lives by 
     waiting on a waiting list,'' said Jennifer Hancock, president 
     and CEO of Volunteers of America (VOA) Mid-States, a non-
     profit partner of Angel Program.
       In addition to providing a staff member to help with the 
     station's intake center three days a week, VOA also has 
     placed several of the referrals from the program into its 
     facilities.
       ``It's important that we strike while the iron is hot and 
     make sure we're providing them with immediate access. 
     Otherwise . . . then they're waiting without the security and 
     safety net of a very structured and accountable program, and 
     it's extremely common that they will continue using.''
       Through several different initiatives that focus on 
     specific populations, VOA maintains 185 residential treatment 
     beds in Louisville and Lexington. More, though, are needed. 
     Only additional funding can alleviate the overwhelming 
     demand.
       And that's the tricky part.
       The J-Town Angel Program only facilitates people finding 
     treatment. Funding of that treatment remains with the patient 
     and the medical provider. Some facilities have pledged 
     scholarships to the program, and many others can enroll 
     patients in Medicaid or work with them to manage costs if 
     they can't afford the treatment.
       But funding doesn't come close to meeting the demand.
       ``If we have people lined up at our door, that's great,'' 
     Garrett said. ``But if we can't take them somewhere because 
     there are no beds available, no funding for these treatment 
     centers, we're just turning people away at that point and 
     doing the opposite of what we're wanting to do.''
       Current legislation in Congress called the Comprehensive 
     Addiction and Recovery Act could give more money to address 
     these broader funding problems for treatment initiatives. But 
     until that occurs, the Angel Program will do its best to 
     continue combatting the effects of the addiction epidemic one 
     life at a time.
       ``We've always been counselors and social workers as law 
     enforcement, mediating conflict and these types of things, 
     but this is a whole new level,'' Garrett said. ``We're 
     entering into a new realm.''

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