DA To Gloucester Chief: Promise For No Heroin Charges Lacks 'Legal Authority'
GLOUCESTER (CBS) – The Gloucester police chief's promise to not charge heroin addicts may "lack legal authority," the Essex District Attorney warned.
Earlier this month, Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello said that the department would not arrest addicts who came to the station to turn in drugs or drug paraphernalia.
Instead, Campanello said anyone who brought items to the police station would be connected immediately with a volunteer who would bring them to an emergency room if needed, and help them get checked into the proper detox and treatment programs.
Read: Essex District Attorney's Letter to Gloucester Chief (.pdf)
But in a letter to Campanello dated Wednesday, Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said that is a promise the police chief cannot make.
"While we applaud the general idea of your proposal, an explicit promise not to charge a person who unlawfully possesses drugs may not amount to a charging promise that you lack legal authority to make, and on which a drug offender may not be able to rely," Blodgett wrote.
Blodgett reiterated that Campanello should be commended for his efforts to curtail opiate addiction.
Still, the district attorney said he was obligated to inform the chief about the limits that police and prosecutors face.
"There has long been a shortage of treatment options for drug-addicted individuals, and we all must continue to work to expand treatment on demand for those who are suffering from addiction," Blodgett wrote.