CARMEL – Putnam County’s Hope Not Handcuffs program needs volunteer “angels.”
Police officials on the county, town and village level were joined by many of the volunteers at a kick-off ceremony Thursday on the steps of the historic Putnam Courthouse where Annette Kahrs, Hudson Valley coordinator of the Hope Not Handcuffs initiative called the opioid crisis facing the region “part of a national epidemic. People find themselves in a situation where they are fatigued and don’t know where to go in order to seek help. Our police departments will now serve as havens where those in need can walk in safely and request assistance.”
Sheriff Robert Langley explained that a person can visit the sheriff’s department, Carmel Police, Cold Spring Police or Kent Police requesting help. “Individuals will be treated with compassion and respect while our ‘angel volunteers’ will assist with paperwork and support until a treatment option is found.”
The sheriff had special praise for Legislator Toni Addonizio and Susan Salomone, founder of Drug Crisis in Our Backyard, for planting the seed that led to the Putnam program.
Langley said “anyone suffering from addiction experiences tremendous pressure preventing them to think clearly. To have a resource like this where a trained volunteer will do the thinking for you removes that pressure and gives the individual an opportunity to enroll in a recovery program without the hassles of making phone calls and getting rejections. The process is simplified; it’s quick and starts a chain of events allowing the patient to get a bed in a facility getting the help needed to recover.”
Cold Spring PD Officer-in Charge Larry Burke told the gathering after an individual visits the police station seeking help, a “call will be made for an angel to respond allowing the person to get immediate treatment. This is a community effort and we in Cold Spring are so thankful for these dedicated volunteer angels.”
Kent Police Chief Kevin Owens forecast the Hope Not Handcuffs launch will erase an old stigma of “go to the police station and get arrested. This is not the case. We are seeking to assist those in need by getting them the help required. Officers will phone an angel, morning, noon or night, and help will be on the way forthwith.”
Carmel Police Chief Michael Cazzari also endorsed the program. “The opioid epidemic has become more and more frightening. Last year, our officers responded to 31 overdoses in the greater Mahopac-Carmel area that included four fatalities. This must stop and the angels will help.”
Those interested in becoming part of the Hope for Handcuffs Team are being asked to complete an online application.
Questions may be e-mailed to PutnamAngels@gmail.com or by calling 833-428-4673.
Angels will have the opportunity to select their own volunteer time
