For Immediate Release

Monday, March 7, 2016

Media Contact: John Guilfoil (JGPR/Police)
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Media Contact: Alex Booker (Ferrante)
Phone: 978-395-7660
Email: Alexander.Booker@mahouse.gov

Massachusetts Police Chiefs, Elected Officials and Addiction Recovery Partners Speak Out In Support of Good Samaritan Bill

BOSTON — Law enforcement and addiction recovery leaders gathered with Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) today at the Massachusetts State House to pledge their support for a bill aimed at creating new and innovative policing programs that facilitate treatment and recovery options for those in need throughout the state.

Rep. Ferrante has filed an amendment to the 2011 Good Samaritan Law (M.G.L. 94C §34A). The amendment was discussed by the Joint State House and Senate Judiciary Committee earlier today. Beforehand, officials held a press conference to advocate for the importance of the bill.

“Today you have a very unique opportunity to lend the pen of legislation to the sword of law enforcement — have them come together for a more compassionate, a more logical, a more dignified approach to this disease,” Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello told those in attendance. “How we do that is encompassed in this law…by saying that the police should have the discretion to not charge someone if they come to them for help.”

In addition to encouraging people suffering from addiction to seek help and police departments to take direct action to help people seeking treatment, the amendment would also go a long way toward removing the stigma and shame of addiction by encouraging treatment without the threat of prosecution.

“What this bill does is it attempts to address the institutional stigma that exists around addiction,” Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan said. “Under Chief Campanello’s leadership, we rolled out our program in Arlington shortly after Gloucester. In the first half of calendar ’15, we were experiencing one overdose death per month in Arlington. We implemented our program July 1, 2015. From July 1, of ’15 to early February of ’16, we had one fatal overdose. The data is abundantly clear.”

Rep. Ferrante, who represents Gloucester, has seen, first hand, the tremendous promise of the Gloucester Police Department ANGEL Initiative. Since the start of the ANGEL Initiative last year, 400 people have been placed into treatment, and the City of Gloucester has seen a nearly 1/3 reduction in property crimes most commonly associated with addiction, including break-ins, larcenies, and car breaks.

As of today, 27 police departments in the state have implemented a program similar to the Gloucester ANGEL Initiative.

“Massachusetts will become the model for the nation in addressing this chronic illness called opioid addiction,” said John Rosenthal, Chairman of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative.

Those in attendance included:

• Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante
• Rep. Alice Peisch (Wellesley), Original Good Samaritan Bill sponsor
• Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello
• Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan
• Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno
• East Bridgewater Police Chief John E. Cowan
• East Bridgewater Police Sergeant Detective Scott Allen
• Hamilton Police Chief Russell Stevens
• Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon
• Swampscott Police Chief Ronald Madigan
• Marblehead Police Chief Robert O. Picariello
• Middleton Police Chief James DiGianvittorio
• Salisbury Police Chief Thomas W. Fowler
• Essex County Sheriff Frank G. Cousins Jr.
• John Rosenthal, Chairman of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative
• Steven A. Tolman, President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
• Members of East Bridgewater HOPE for Recovery, including Director Susan Silva
• State Representatives from various Massachusetts districts