Lee County Safe Passage Initiative Forms Collaboration With A Man In Recovery Foundation

For Immediate Release

Friday, Sept. 18, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Lee County Safe Passage Initiative Forms Collaboration With A Man In Recovery Foundation

DIXON, Ill. — Police Chief Danny Langloss and Lee County Sheriff John Simonton are pleased to report that they are working with A Man In Recovery Foundation to expand resources and training for their addiction recovery program.

On Sept. 1, Dixon Police and the Lee Country Sheriff’s Department launched The Safe Passage Initiative: Police Giving Hope to Addicts Through the Tools For Recovery, an addiction recovery initiative modeled after the Gloucester, Mass. Police Department’s ANGEL Program that is aimed at encouraging addicts to seek the help of police officers and sheriff’s deputies, who will in turn get them into treatment.

Tim Ryan, founder of A Man In Recovery Foundation, partnered with Safe Passage to assist police with placing participants into treatment and expanding their knowledge on addiction.

“I cannot express how grateful we are for Tim’s assistance. Through his work with A Man In Recovery he has already helped us place half of our participants into treatment centers,” Chief Langloss said. “His experience has also proved to be vital for this department, as he’s shared his story of addiction with officers and guided them on how to best work with and help a person suffering from opioid addiction.”

Ryan spoke with 40 officers in Lee County to educate them about the disease of addiction, fears addicts have about police and treatment, and the best approach to working with people looking to recover.

“The police are here to serve and protect,” Ryan said. “We can’t arrest our way out of this problem. Nobody wants to be a heroin addict, but oftentimes people don’t know how to ask for help. Lee County is now welcoming people into the police department and encouraging them to get the assistance they need to recover.”

Lee County and Dixon became the first agencies to partner with The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) in Illinois.

Ryan has also helped Lee County create the area’s first free, weekly Opiate Recovery Group, where addicts and family members come together in one space for what Ryan calls “Recovery in the Raw.” Participants talk about addiction, and the steps those struggling with the disease need to take to get help and recover.

“Tim has a wealth of knowledge and real-life experiences that are crucial to helping people recover from opioid addiction,” Sheriff Simonton said. “We believe his assistance will help ensure Safe Passage is a success and that lives are saved.”

About A Man In Recovery Foundation
Ryan launched A Man In Recovery in 2014, after battling with his opioid addiction for years and losing his 20-year-old son to a heroin overdose. His nonprofit works with people struggling with addiction, along with their family and loved ones, to get them into treatment that is customized to their specific situation. Upon release, Ryan and his volunteers continue to work with those in recovery to ensure they maintain their commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

“We work to give people hope,” Ryan said. “You can have a wonderful life, but you have to put your recovery first.”

About P.A.A.R.I.
P.A.A.R.I. was started to support local police departments as they work with opioid addicts. Rather than arrest our way out of the problem of drug addiction, P.A.A.R.I. committed police departments:

• Encourage opioid drug users to seek recovery
• Help distribute life saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses
• Connect people suffering with opioid addiction with treatment programs and facilities
• Provide resources to other police departments and communities that want to do more to fight the opioid addiction epidemic

P.A.A.R.I. was created by Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello and John Rosenthal to bridge the gap between the police department and opioid addicts seeking recovery.

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