Maloney, center, explains his proposed legislation as Rolison,
Molinaro and Grady listen
POUGHKEEPSIE – Flanked by Poughkeepsie Mayor Robert Rolison, Dutchess
County Executive Marcus Molinaro, and District Attorney William Grady,
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18) announced his intent to reintroduce
legislation to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic plaguing the Hudson
Valley.
He said the Orange County has the highest overdose rates in the entire
State of New York.
The bill, as proposed, would initiate a grant program through the Department
of Justice, which would assist law enforcement agencies in providing pre-booking
diversion programs developed with local drug treatment programs and local
prosecutors to address low-level drug crimes.
The program would allow law enforcement officers, at their discretion,
to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug activity to community-based
services, like the Dutchess County Stabilization Center, instead of jail
and prosecution.
“Everywhere I go in the Hudson Valley I hear stories about friends
and loved ones lost to heroin and opioid addiction,” said Maloney.
“We need a comprehensive approach to fighting this epidemic, and
that starts with supporting our law enforcement officers who are on the
frontlines of both crime and treatment. My legislation would provide a
critical tool for these law enforcement officers to divert addicts directly
to treatment instead of chronically arresting them” said Maloney
when explaining the proposal.
Mayor Rolison, a 29-year veteran of law enforcement, welcomed the idea.
Recalling his days in police work, Rolison said that there were no alternatives
when dealing with low-level offenders. “We arrested them, booked
them, and then went back to our patrol.” The new Dutchess County
Stabilization Center provides an alternative to the criminal justice system
for offenders that qualify. “Being able to divert individuals with
addiction into treatment will go towards helping the process of getting
them stabilized and preventing them from entering the criminal justice
system.”
The mayor said this legislation would direct financial resources to the
local communities that know how best to utilize these funds.”
