FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Isabella Nowak, PAARI Public Relations – isabella@paariusa.org
Boston, MA – June 1, 2025 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its founding.
On June 1, 2015, the Gloucester, MA Police Department opened its doors to anyone seeking help for addiction or substance use disorders, regardless of where they lived. The Gloucester PD Police Chief announced the groundbreaking initiative in a Facebook post, which quickly went viral. People traveled from across the country to seek help, and the department welcomed them without judgment.
This act of compassion sparked a movement. What began as a local effort soon inspired police departments nationwide to adopt similar deflection-based approaches to substance use. That momentum led to the creation of PAARI: the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative.
Since its inception, PAARI has remained committed to improving access to treatment and recovery services for individuals with substance use disorders. What started with one department has grown into a national movement, with more than 800 law enforcement partners in 46 states that partner with PAARI.
“What once seemed like a radical idea in 2015 has now become a reality for so many communities across the country,” said John Rosenthal, PAARI Co-Founder and Board Chair. “We have learned that we can not arrest our way out of this crisis. By choosing compassion over arrest, we have saved lives and transformed the role of law enforcement in addressing substance use. I couldn’t be prouder of what PAARI has accomplished.”
Over the past decade, PAARI’s team has:
- Distributed tens of thousands of doses of naloxone and fentanyl test strips to first responders and others free of charge
- Hosted Annual National Law Enforcement Summits and State Convenings
- Successfully advocated for better treatment access and funding
- Delivered technical assistance, webinars, and resources to thousands of police and public safety officers across the nation
“It’s an incredible honor to celebrate PAARI’s 10th anniversary,” said Grover. “The progress we’ve made over the past decade is a testament to the dedication of our team and our partners. Today, our team not only includes our board, but a lived experience council, a public safety council and a public health council. I’m proud of how far we’ve come and am eager to face the next decade head-on.”
As PAARI marks this milestone, the organization remains more committed than ever to its mission to support police and public safety programs that promote access to treatment and recovery for people with substance use disorders.
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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 deflection programs. 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 800 police departments in 46 states.
PAARI works with more than 160 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. PAARI and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where diversion and deflection 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.
