Safe Passages Program

The Berea and Olmsted Township Police Departments have partnered with the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative (PAARI) to facilitate the entry of heroin/opiate addicts to treatment. Our local program is called Safe Passages. The concept behind the program is to assist those suffering from addiction in receiving help through treatment rather than using the power of arrest to combat the problem. Both Departments identified heroin as a major public health issue affecting their communities and Greater Cleveland in general. We partnered with PAARI, a national organization created to address the heroin crisis.

PAARI was created in 2015 in Gloucester, MA. In part, their mission statement reads, The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the Gloucester Police addiction initiatives, to aid other police departments to implement similar programs, and to foster a dialogue around the unique opportunity for police departments to take direct action against the disease of drug addiction in their communities. Working in conjunction with the medical community and science-based recovery programs, police departments can make a difference in their communities by saving lives from drug overdoses, reducing the number of drug addicts and opioid drug demand, and thereby devaluing a seemingly endless drug supply. Currently, our Departments are working to build working relationships with the medical community in Greater Cleveland to assist us with providing the best possible services to our program participants. One of our main goals is to provide a structured and meaningful “Care Path” for each of our Safe Passages intakes.

If you or someone you know wants help for an addiction,  please contact or visit the Olmsted Township Police Department.

We are always looking for individuals to be Safe Passage Guides. If interested, Email Lieutenant Mark Adam.