For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015

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

Paris, Maine Police Partner with P.A.A.R.I. to Create Gloucester-Style Addiction Initiative

PARIS, Maine — Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Lange, as well as Gloucester, Mass. Police Chief Leonard Campanello, and John Rosenthal, co-founders of The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) are pleased to announce a partnership between P.A.A.R.I. and the Paris Police Department to support the Paris Addiction Recovery Initiative.

“We are so honored to be partner with P.A.A.R.I. on this groundbreaking program,” Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Lange said. “The opioid crisis has reached epidemic proportions and we want to do everything we can to make the necessary resources available to those struggling with addiction within our community.”

Given the strides made through the Gloucester ANGEL Initiative, Interim Chief Lange decided to create a similar initiative for his department in Paris, Maine.

“I am proud of the law enforcement agencies like Paris Police who are stepping up to fight this battle against addiction,” Chief Campanello said. “The more support we can get from police the better chance we have to change the way we view and talk about addiction.”

The Paris Police Department is also part of the Western Maine Addiction Task Force, a group dedicated to the development of a plan in Western Maine to address the issue of substance abuse. The Western Maine Task Force is comprised of law enforcement agencies in Paris, Norway, Oxford, Fryeburg, Rumford, Mexico, Dixfield and Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and has recently partnered with CN Brown Oil Company, of South Paris, who will offer potential job opportunities to those who are struggling with heroin addiction.

“We would never be able to change as many lives as we have if it weren’t for the support from departments like Paris Police,” John Rosenthal said. “Those struggling with addiction in the Paris community now have a new opportunity to get well.”

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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