Longmont Public Safety Chief Mike Butler wants residents who struggle with drug addiction to walk into the Safety and Justice Center without fear of arrest, but first he is inviting “angels” to partner with them.
Butler said he needs these volunteer community members to show up, apply for the program and undergo training to serve as partners before he can formally invite people struggling with drug addiction to walk through the front doors to surrender their stashes and seek help without being criminalized.
In 2015, there were 181 arrests for felony possession of narcotics in Longmont, and in many cases, they were familiar faces who continually cycle through the criminal justice system, which he calls the “revolving door.”
For the past few months, he and others in the department have been researching how to treat rather than criminalize mental health issues that lead to dependency on drugs. As part of that effort, Longmont is the first agency to join the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), a partnership that will enable Longmont police to access a network of about 300 treatment and recovery centers.
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