BOSTON — Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade is very pleased to announce that the Office of Mayor Bill Carpenter, in partnership with the Brockton Police Department, Gandara Center, Brewster Ambulance and the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative, is marking the third anniversary of its groundbreaking Champion Plan Program by partnering with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I).

In three years since its launch, the city’s Champion Plan has come into contact with more than 700 individuals seeking assistance in overcoming their personal struggles with substance use disorders. Through those interactions, Brockton Police and the Champion Plan have secured over 1,100 placements into treatment.

“The Champion Plan has had some remarkable accomplishments in its first three years, and we’re eager to partner with the Champion Plan and Brockton Police to continue building upon that foundation,” Hunter McDade said. “Their work has made a lasting impact on hundreds of lives, and I have no doubt that through this new partnership we’ll be able to replicate this successful model within other police departments across the commonwealth and the country.”

Brockton Police and P.A.A.R.I’s partnership was made official today at a ceremony celebrating the Champion Plan’s third anniversary. Mayor Bill Carpenter, Chief John Crowley, Hunter McDade and Jonathan Fasano, a former client of the Champion Plan, as well as all of the Champion Plan’s hardworking staff were in attendance to mark the occasion.

“We are looking forward to sharing our Champion Plan experiences with other members as we support PAARI’s mission to expand access to treatment through true community policing”, said Mayor Bill Carpenter.

Brockton is a significant partner in Plymouth County Outreach, which unites all of the county’s police departments, as well as key stakeholders from the treatment and healthcare communities, to assist those struggling with substance use disorders and provide them support and resources.

For the last two years, PCO has been able to draw upon the efforts of Recovery Coaches funded by the groundbreaking P.A.A.R.I AmeriCorps grant. Now, with the awarding of a federal Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program grant, PCO, P.A.A.R.I and the city of Brockton will be able to even further strengthen their outreach and recovery services.

About P.A.A.R.I

The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, P.A.A.R.I has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, coaching, grants, and other capacity-building resources to more than 440 police departments in 32 states.

We currently work with more than 100 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. P.A.A.R.I and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities.

Our programs and partners have saved thousands of lives, changed police culture and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic. Learn more at www.paariusa.org.

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