Carbon County will become just the second county in the state to implement a program that encourages police officers to help people with addiction issues seek treatment.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro, personally visited the Carbon County Courthouse on Friday to announce the expansion of the state’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (PA LEAD) program.

“People trust their local police officers, and now they can walk in their municipal police department and be able to get the help they need,” Shapiro said.

The program will provide training and resources to local police officers so they can help people dealing with addiction.

Shapiro said people with addiction issues will now be able to walk into their local police department and ask for help with treatment without fear of prosecution, as long as there are no warrants for their arrest.

Officers will in turn be trained to connect people who approach them with a treatment professional.

Locally, that will be Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission.

As long as there is no active arrest warrant for the person, the officer will get the person help without fear of prosecution.

Welcomed

Jamie Drake of Carbon-Monroe-Pike said she is ready to support police departments in implementing the program. She said that in the treatment community have long maintained that incarceration is not the only answer.

“I think we have a great opportunity to be an example across the state of Pennsylvania in leading a small county and doing something like this,” Drake said.

Many people dealing with addiction will have what Drake termed an “Aha” moment, where they realize they are ready for help. Carbon-Monroe-Pike works hard to make sure there is someone there to listen when they make that decision, and this program will further ensure that help is available.

“Two days from now, it may be too late. They may be dead,” Drake said.

The program will go into effect immediately. Local police chiefs said they’re encouraged by the new program.

Lehighton Police Chief Brian Biechy said it’s always a priority for police to get help for people with addiction issues, and this will speed up that process.

“For someone to walk in to ask for help, for somebody that we feel needs it, that we have the option to get them there directly, that’s beneficial,” he said.

Carbon County is already home to a Drug Treatment Court and Veterans’ Treatment Court, which are available to people who have been charged with a crime. The goal of PA LEAD is to get people help before they end up in the court system.

“This program, supported and encouraged by the Attorney General’s office, is designed to reduce criminal case filings, but more importantly, to assist those suffering from those substance abuse disorders,” said Judge Joseph J. Matika said.

Epidemic

15 Pennsylvanians die each day from heroin and fentanyl, Shapiro said. Last year, 1,200 people died in Philadelphia County alone. But in percentage of overdose death rate, the top 11 are rural counties. He said the battle against opioids must be fought in every inch of the state.

“This crisis knows no municipal bounds, black white brown, rich poor male female, rural, suburban, it doesn’t matter, it touches everyone,” he said.

Those in attendance on Friday heard a good example of how treatment can help. Karalyn Dietrich opened up about her addiction which turned her into a “criminal, a monster and a liar.” She said she was one of many people who became dependent on a prescription of opioids following a medical procedure.

Today, she helps others with addiction issues as a counselor at Carbon-Monroe-Pike.

“Addiction is not something you battle alone. I believe 100 percent it’s a community effort,” she said.

Progress

That community effort seems to be growing across the state in response to the opioid epidemic. Shapiro said he’s been inspired by the collaboration between public health and law enforcement. He said addiction needs to be treated as a disease, however at the same time, law enforcement needs to work to keep “poisons” like heroin and fentanyl off the streets.

He said since he took office, the Attorney General’s office has arrested five mid-level drug dealers per day.

The LEAD program was piloted last year in Somerset County, located south of Pittsburgh.

Shapiro said that Carbon County is the right place to debut the LEAD program in the Eastern part of the state. He hopes that the county’s implementation will serve as a model to others, and he invited every law enforcement agency in the state to join as well.

“You’re showing that you can be tough on crime, but you can have compassion in your hearts, and you’re going to make people safer as a result,” Shapiro said.

Lansford Police Department sent out a social media post a few hours after the news conference encouraging people to learn more about the program.

“For those seeking help ... we can now get you help almost immediately. For low level offenders ... we can offer a chance to break your cycle of addiction,” the post read.