OC Legislature presents police chiefs’ association with $10,000

By Connor Linskey
Posted 12/16/20

On Friday, the Orange County Legislature presented the Police Chief’s Association of Orange County with a $10,000 check, which will benefit Hope Not Handcuffs Hudson Valley.

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OC Legislature presents police chiefs’ association with $10,000

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On Friday, the Orange County Legislature presented the Police Chief’s Association of Orange County with a $10,000 check, which will benefit Hope Not Handcuffs Hudson Valley.

Hope Not Handcuffs is an initiative aimed at bringing law enforcement and community organizations together in an effort to find viable treatment options for individuals seeking help to reduce dependency on illicit drugs and alcohol.

When a person is ready to begin the process of recovery, they can walk into a participating police department and ask for help. Once accepted into the program, the individual will be guided through a brief intake process to ensure proper treatment placement. A trained volunteer will be called to the station to help with paperwork and to provide support until a treatment option is found. Local participating law enforcement agencies include the Towns of Crawford and Montgomery as well as the Villages of Walden and Maybrook Police Departments. Hope Not Handcuffs Hudson Valley is one of the Crawford-based Tri-County Community Partnership Inc.’s programs.

“Truly at times like this with the pandemic and seeing the numbers rise and overdoses and the deaths, truly I think now more than ever it’s an honor for the legislature to be able to work together to support you guys,” Orange County Legislator for District 2 Janet Sutherland said to TCCP President Annette Kahrs as well as incoming Police Chiefs’ Association of Orange County Paul Rickard and outgoing Police Chiefs’ Association of Orange County President Dominick Blasko. “Please continue doing all the great work that you are doing.”

“Our partnership with Hope Not Handcuffs is a great community policing effort that allows us to solve problems before they happen,” Blasko said. “We’re encouraged by community members stepping up to be the angels to help us get the message across to be drug free and help addiction.”

Kahrs noted that the donation will help Hope Not Handcuffs Hudson Valley immensely.

“This goes a long way to providing rec. cards and helping with billboards and marketing materials and outreach and training and everything that it helps us do,” she said.