SUNBURY – State Attorney General Josh Shapiro is joining the fight against substance use disorder in Northumberland County with enhanced efforts on recovery.
During a news conference in Sunbury Tuesday, Shapiro announced the expansion of the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative, or LETI. He says there was definitely a need, “What we also have here is a group from law enforcement and the treatment community that are prepared to be smart on crime and work together. We’re always looking for communities that are prepared to meet us halfway, be coordinated, and work together to save lives.”
Northumberland County is the fifth county to receive the program that started in 2018, which assists law enforcement in connecting people to drug and alcohol treatment. The program is in partnership with Northumberland County Drug and Alcohol Treatment services, including the new treatment center next to the county prison, Gaudenzia.
Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Matulewicz says the county’s drug problems are often associated with the same people who get stuck within the system, “It’s a revolving door. It’s the same people that go through a cycle of getting arrested, going to rehab, getting clean, relapsing, getting arrested again, violating probation, getting thrown in jail, revoked, re-sentenced. And they basically never get off the probation treadmill and they’re constantly living life in and out of jail.”
The DA says police can call a number to put most first time offenders amendable to treatment into a detox program, at which point officers will wait on pending charges.
If offenders then complete required treatment, those charges would be dropped. Shapiro says he’s looking to expand this program around the commonwealth, but in this region in particular, “We’re working with law enforcement across the region to try and stand this type of initiative up, everywhere. Educating them about the power of it, the efficacy of it, and then ultimately working with them to put it in place.”
Since 2016, Matulewicz says at least 103 people in the county have died from drug overdoses. The number for Northumberland County Drug and Alcohol is 1-833-976-HELP.
