Georgetown PD aims to curb drug addiction problem in the streets with Operation Hope and Angel Program

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (WTVQ) — It’s an issue that continues to rise nationwide, drug overdoses.
According to the CDC, more than 107,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings, in a 12-month period that ended in January of 2022.

67% of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The CDC claims fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent, than morphine.

“Probably the scariest thing is the amount of juveniles that have been experimenting since COVID, and, you know, 40% of the pills out there are laced with fentanyl and that’s deadly,” says Corey Council, a recovery support coordinator with the police department.

It’s an initiative that began back in 2017 for the Georgetown Police Department, Operation Hope and Angel Program, designed to help those struggling with substance abuse.

“Operation Hope is where anybody can come in and ask for help with a substance use disorder, they just come in, we’ll do a brief assessment with them if they have any drugs or paraphernalia on them, an officer will take it, mark it for destruction, and not charge them with it because of course they’re asking for help,” added Council.

Although the program has seen some positives, those with the department say there’s still a long way to go, and asking for help is the first step.

“If anyone comes and they say I have addiction issues, I want to take advantage of the Angel Program or Operation Hope or I just need help, we’re here to help. We’re, we’re not going to just charge them criminally, we’re not going to put them in jail, we’re not going to put them in handcuffs. If they’re coming to us for help, we’re gonna help,” adds Patrick Nevitt, an officer with the community recovery and support team at the department.

GPD applied for a grant last year and part of that has helped fund Operation Hope and Angel Program.
Corey Council who helps screen those who come into the department says, there are beds available for those who need help in Kentucky right now.

“We can do inpatient long term, we can do intensive outpatient, medicated assisted treatment, whatever, you know, we, the conversation is between me and the person and, if they, they’re not gonna buy in, if they don’t have a say in it. So that’s a big piece of it is getting them to help figure out where they wanna go,” added Council.

Those with the department say there is a rise in drug overdoses, not just on a national level but the problem is also affecting smaller communities, and there is one group that is also a target.

“Over the past eight months I think we’ve had 4 to 6 13-year-olds, we’ve actually, been reported as an overdose, a non-fatal overdose, but an overdose nonetheless,” also says Council.

Meanwhile Officer Nevitt says, what we’re seeing when stuff comes back from the lab, people think they’re buying meth, they think they’re buying heroin, they think they’re buying even marijuana, they think they’re buying Percocets, we send it off to the lab, it comes back and everything’s got fentanyl in it.”

Nevitt also says that when someone has not been using for a short amount of time their tolerance goes down, and if they go back and buy the same amount from the same person, they’re still at a risk for an overdose, adding that medications should be locked up or disposed of.

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