PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A substance abuse treatment initiative has expanded to Delaware County, where those in need of help can turn to the police without fear of arrest or conviction.
Outside the Upper Darby Police Department on Tuesday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the expansion of the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (LETI) and acknowledged the significance of asking for help, especially amid the ongoing opioid crisis.
“By getting law enforcement involved on the initial steps to refer someone into treatment, the other thing we are doing collectively is minimizing the stigma associated with raising your hand and saying ‘I need help,’ ” he said.
Delaware County is the eighth county in the state now participating now in LETI. Under the policy, those seeking help can ask law enforcement for a referral or connections to treatment without the threat of arrest or prosecution.
“We cannot arrest our way out of this crisis,” Shapiro added. “Sometimes people who are suffering don’t know where to turn, but they know they can trust their local police. … They need to know that they can come here for extra help.
“People suffering from substance abuse disorder may be ashamed and also hiding it from their family and friends. They may not have access to the internet to find the facilities to get them help. Today, our office, Delaware County District Attorney (Jack) Stollsteimer, and police and law enforcement who are standing here with me today are saying this simply: Turn to us.”
Timothy Bernhardt, Upper Darby Police Department superintendent, said before LETI, law enforcement had to go through a great deal of red tape.
“We now can interact with someone who needs help, who wants help, and we can get them that help,” he said. “We can transport them to a facility to get them the help that they need thanks to this initiative.”
LETI also expanded to Berks County. Other participating counties include Bradford, Carbon, Dauphin, Northumberland, Schuylkill and Somerset.