FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Local police departments partner with addiction and mental health treatment providers to increase awareness and service coordination in Lancaster County.

Eight local police departments, including the Lancaster City Police Bureau, Manheim Township PD, Quarryville Borough PD, Elizabethtown Borough PD, Northwest Regional PD, Manor Township PD, Lititz Borough PD, and West Lampeter Township PD are working with Second Chance PA and Blueprints for Addiction Recovery, Inc. to facilitate a coordinated ride-along program aimed at strengthening community policing efforts and further reducing barriers to treatment.

These departments already work closely with Blueprints as partners in the Second Chance PA program – a pre-arrest diversion initiative that empowers law enforcement officers to dismiss drug-related charges in favor of behavioral healthcare and rehabilitation.

“This addition to the partnership between Lancaster County police agencies and the service providers from Second Chance PA is a further example of how hard the Lancaster County police departments are working to serve our communities,” said Chief Ed Cunningham of Elizabethtown Borough, “One of the things that we have been looking for is a way to effectively and efficiently add a component of mental health and substance abuse assistance to our regular patrol duties.  By allowing the Certified Recovery Specialists, Certified Peer Specialists and Therapists to ride along with local police officers, we will be able to provide assistance from trained, experienced providers to our residents who need it the most, when they need it the most.”

"Our officers respond directly to the instance or crisis - providing a unique opportunity for intervention,” Said Sgt. Jared Hahn of Lititz Borough, “The complexities of 21st Century policing mandate that the tools and resources we provide our officers must go beyond the tangible items they carry on their belt. They must include access to services and resources outside of the criminal Justice system, and the empowerment to utilize them to find the right resources for the right situations. While our officers maintain instant access to Certified Recovery Specialists at all times, having a CRS co-respond with our officers will increase the efficiency with which we meet the moment."

The ride-along program is set to launch on 09/03/2022.

For questions or media inquiries, please contact Blueprints CEO Christopher Dreisbach at 717-940-3159 or Chief Ed Cunningham at 717-367-6540 (cunninge@etownpolice.org).