Harrison Police To Give Heroin Addicts Pass On Charges If They Seek Treatment

HARRISON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police in Harrison, Westchester County have decided to throw out the rulebook when it comes to the growing heroin epidemic.

As CBS2's Lou Young reported, police now say they will give local addicts a pass on criminal charges if they come to the department seeking help.

Some grief-stricken parents looked on as the Harrison Police Department received its praise – a proclamation from state lawmakers on a drug case that took their daughter's lkife less than a month ago.

"I found my daughter in bed, and it broke my heart," said John Greer, the father of Lauren Greer. "I see that picture of her where one minute she's talking to me; the next minute, she's just looking at me -- but there's no sound, there's no voice, there's nothing."

Lauren Greer was one of two people who died in the upscale community from a string of overdoses from tainted heroin.

In a matter of days, Harrison police traced the supply back to the Bronx, arresting a local teenager and six other people – with more arrests to come.

"I think this case tipped the scales for us," said Harrison police Chief Anthony Maraccini. "Something needed to be done, and it has to be done now."

That something is the new program in which people can seek help and avoid charges. SOBA College Recovery, a New Jersey-based treatment program,  has agreed to take referrals from the Harrison police, no questions asked.

"We get them help, no matter what -- no matter what their insurance situation is, no matter what their resources are for funding, we get them placed," said drug treatment coordinator Joel Pomales.

Minutes after the program was announced, police were called to an apartment building in Harrison for yet another drug overdose -- as if to underscore the scope of the problem.

"It's here in Harrison. My kids were brought up in Larchmont; it's in Larchmont. I know it's in Scarsdale. I know it's in New Rochelle," said Peter Rubenstein, the father of an overdose victim.

His 26-year-old son, Marc Rubenstein, died last month – too late to benefit from the treatment now being offered.

Police say they know this is not a problem they can arrest their way out of.

Both recent heroin deaths in Harrison were addicts who graduated to the drug after using and abusing prescription painkillers.

For more information about SOBA College Recovery, check out their website or call (732) 519-2022