BOSTON, MA February 13, 2023 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is pleased to announce the 2023 Public Safety Council. Led by Board Member and retired Arlington Police Chief, Frederick Ryan, the council is built directly into PAARI’s leadership and decision-making structure.
PAARI believes that law enforcement has a vital role in addressing the addiction crisis and prioritizes the insights and perspectives of those who deal with this problem on the ground. PAARI is looking forward to incorporating the members’ points of view into how they craft policy and think about solutions to substance use disorder. The committee is comprised of 11 public safety officers who are leaders in the field of non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery.
“As a retired Police Chief and someone who worked in law enforcement for 33 years, I know the value in utilizing the perspectives of those who encounter addiction in the community first-hand,” says Ryan, “I am grateful to be leading this initiative and am excited to begin learning the various viewpoints of these 11 exceptional public safety leaders.”
Members of the council will engage in quarterly meetings with PAARI’s board and staff, two of which will include PAARI’s Lived Experience Council. They will also partake in periodic reviews and feedback on public policy and PAARI’s strategy, process, and communications.
“We thank these law enforcement leaders for joining our Public Safety Council,” says Zoe Grover-Scicchitano, Executive Director of PAARI, “We are excited to take advantage of their unique perspectives, as those who are on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, to better our strategies and policies.”
Council members include:
- Chief Eric Atkinson, Menomonie Police Department, WI
- Chief Joshua Bernegger, Watertown Police Department, CT
- Sergeant Michael Braley, Everett Police Department, WA
- Chief Edward Conley, Gloucester Police Department, MA
- Chief Steven D’Agata, Liberty Village Police Department, NY
- Investigative Commander Tom Fallon, Amberley Village Police Department, OH
- Former Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Chief Kevin Lennon, Yarmouth Police Department, MA
- Chief Richard Nighelli, Marion Police Department, MA
- Chief Amy Prock, Myrtle Beach Police Department, SC
- Chief Jeff Tate, Shakopee Police Department, MN
To learn more about the members of the Public Safety Council click HERE
Written by: Isabella Nowak
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ABOUT PAARI: The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI) 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, Mass., Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, PAARI has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, strategic guidance, connection to training resources, and other capacity-building resources to more than 700 police departments in 40 states.
PAARI works with more than 130 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. PAARI 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 tens of thousands of lives, changed police culture, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
