The Rockland County D-A’s office got a 900-thousand dollar federal grant from the Department of Justice for a three-year program called “The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion” program, or “LEAD.” The program would provide alternative help outside the criminal justice system for drug addicts charged with low-level misdemeanors. D-A Tom Walsh held a press conference Friday, and says though overdoses are lower so far than last year, the use of NARCAN to resuscitate those who overdose has been up during the pandemic, suggesting opioid use is on the rise…
That was Clarkstown Police Chief Ray McCullogh. The program will start in Clarkstown early next year, and supervisor George Hoehman laments we lose too many people to illegal drugs…
And that was Kathleen Katt-Bennie, the director of Foundations Recovery Community Center at the Rockland Council on Alcoholism and other Drug Dependence. After a few of months, the program will expand to other Rockland police agencies. D-A Walsh says the program has already had a successful rollout in New York City.