Blair Paddock | July 22, 2021 10:19 pm
The city is expanding a program that works to keep people from getting a drug offense and, instead, places them into treatment.
The Narcotics Arrest Diversion Program, started in 2018 on the West Side, and has directed more than 700 people in 11 eligible police districts toward drug treatment programs.
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Officials say the program will expand to every district by the end of the year.
There are two ways someone can access the NADP, Chicago Police Deputy Chief Antoinette Ursitti said. If an officer takes an individual into custody who’s in possession of one gram or less of cocaine, heroin or drug paraphernalia and if they’re open to treatment, a counselor at the station will connect them with a treatment program. Otherwise, people can come to the station to request access to the program.
Narcotics Diversion Program expanding in Chicago amid increase in overdoses
By FOX 32 Digital Staff
Published
The Narcotics Arrest Diversion Program is expanding in Chicago amid a citywide increase in drug overdoses.
The program, launched in 2018, is a partnership between the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Department of Public Health.
The NADP is designed to divert individuals arrested for select drug-related offenses away from the criminal justice system and towards treatment and recovery services provided by the city s public health department. Arrest diversion programs that link individuals to evidence-based treatment and social support systems have been shown to reduce recidivism and the social costs of substance use disorders at the individual and community level, said Dr. Allison Arwady, CDPH Commissioner. The expansion of this program is a key step to more effectively and equitably addressing this issue.