WCBC

August 8th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that his administration is providing $3 million in state grants to help eradicate the heroin epidemic in Maryland. A total of $931,371 will go toward funding a heroin coordinator in law enforcement agencies in every region of the state, while a total of $2,070,397 will go to nine jurisdictions to continue the Safe Streets Initiative, an offender-based program that tracks down and arrests the most serious, violent, and repeat offenders while connecting those offenders struggling with substance abuse to drug treatment, health care, education, and other services. This year, five Safe Streets sites will be funded to hire peer recovery specialists to integrate treatment into the model.

Both programs will support the recommendations of the Heroin & Opioid Emergency Task Force, which released its report after holding regional stakeholder summits to hear first-hand about the ravages of the epidemic on communities throughout the state. The Heroin Coordinator Grant Program will support one of the 33 recommendations made by the Task Force: the state should designate the Baltimore-Washington High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) as the central repository for all Maryland drug intelligence by providing funds for salary or overtime support for a heroin coordinator to do the vital work of data input and analysis. Sharing and analyzing this data across jurisdictions will make it easier for law enforcement to identify drug traffickers. The Peer Recovery Specialist Program also fulfills the Task Force’s recommendation that peer recovery specialists be integrated into the Safe Streets model. These recommendations are part of a holistic approach that balances law enforcement, treatment, and prevention programs. The goal is to track down drug traffickers, protect young people from becoming involved with illegal drugs, and provide treatment and resources for those struggling with substance abuse and addiction.

“Throughout Maryland, from our smallest town to our biggest city, heroin is destroying lives,” said Governor Hogan. “A coordinated law enforcement and treatment response is essential to our administration’s ability to help fight this epidemic and provide our citizens with the lifesaving support they need. These heroin coordinators will work to ensure that every drug seizure, arrest, and investigation is documented and uploaded into extensive shared databases to give us a clear picture of the paths these deadly drugs take to get into our communities. And our peer recovery specialists will work to ensure offenders with addictions get the treatment and support they need to get on the road to recovery.”

“Governor Hogan and I are committed to the Safe Streets Initiative because it is a model program that works, and we’re pleased to be able to integrate a drug treatment component into our Safe Streets program—an important recommendation by the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force,” said Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, the Task Force chair. “Identifying offenders who have an addiction from the moment they are arrested gives us the time we need to help them turn their lives around.”

“Until now, it was typical for law enforcement agencies to conduct and analyze their investigations and information on the illegal drug trade independently and in their own jurisdictions,” said Glenn Fueston, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, which administers the Safe Streets funds. “This is no longer the case. The Heroin Coordinator Grant program will promote an integrated law enforcement and investigative strategy among all Maryland jurisdictions through extensive data-sharing. This, in turn, will advance statewide investigations and prosecutions of drug traffickers, as well as referrals for treatment for individuals struggling with addiction.”

The grant funding announced today has been awarded to the following law enforcement agencies:

Heroin Coordinator Grant Program FY 2017
Jurisdiction	Implementing Agency	Project Title	Funding
Allegany	Cumberland Police Department	Heroin Coordinator	$84,180
Anne Arundel	Anne Arundel County  Police Department Headquarters	Heroin Coordinator	$69,100
Baltimore	Baltimore County Police Department	Heroin Coordinator	$57,345
Calvert	Calvert County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$38,000
Cecil	Cecil County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Facility	Heroin Coordinator	$59,641
Charles	Charles County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$50,000
Dorchester	Dorchester County Council	Heroin Coordinator	$42,000
Frederick	Frederick City Police Department	Heroin Coordinator	$63,000
Garrett	Garrett County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$20,000
Harford	Harford County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$73,304
Howard	Howard County Police Department	Heroin Coordinator	$69,624
Kent	Kent County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$32,000
Montgomery	Montgomery County Police Department	Heroin Coordinator	$35,000
St. Mary's	St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$31,441
Talbot	Talbot County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$30,000
Wicomico	Wicomico County Sheriff's Office	Heroin Coordinator	$49,088
Worcester	Worcester County Board of County Commissioners	Heroin Coordinator	$67,648
Statewide	Maryland State Police	Heroin Coordinator	$60,000
		TOTAL FUNDING	$931,371

 

Safe Streets Initiative  FY 2017
Implementing Agency	Funding
Annapolis City Police Department	$345,147
Anne Arundel County	$289,807
Cumberland Police Department	$220,000
Dorchester Community Partnership	$164,080
Frederick City Police Department	$232,366
Hagerstown Police Department	$161,024
Harford County Sheriff’s Office	$207,000
Maryland State Police/Cecil County	$203,000
Salisbury Police Department	$247,973
TOTAL FUNDING	$2,070,394