Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery: Evidence-Based, Recovery-Oriented Community Policing Methodology

Monday, October 21, 2024

8:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET

Location: 258C

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Sarko Gergerian

Winthrop Department of Public Safety & Health

Speaker(s)

TD

Terence Delehanty

Winthrop Department of Public Safety
Meredith Hurley

Winthrop Public Health & Clinical Services Department
CM

Chip McHugh

Winthrop Public Health & Clinical Services Department

In 2014, the Winthrop Departments of Public Safety and Health connected to reach out to community members living with mental health (MH) or substance use disorders (SUDs). In 2015, this collaboration led to the development of the Winthrop Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery (CLEAR) Team. This initiative stemmed from a practice started by a Winthrop police officer, and then adopted by the entire department, of using information in dispatch logs and incident reports to reach out to community members affected by mental health or substance use disorders and attempt to connect them to appropriate help. This presentation will cover how using police information in this way built community trust and transformed the department, how the CLEAR program works, and how other police agencies can replicate the program.