PORTLAND, Maine — City police are creating a new program to help heroin addicts break the cycle of addiction.
Wednesday afternoon, Portland Police Department's chief and the city mayor announced that they will hire a substance abuse liaison who will work within the police department to identify addicts and help them get the help they need.
Chief Michael Sauschuk says the liaison will not be funded by state or federal funds, but rather by asset forfeiture money seized from drug dealers in Portland.
"The only way to make this happen is to be able to stand alone and make a decision that you're going to move forward," he says. "We're done waiting, we're done waiting on other people, we're done waiting on funding sources. The City of Portland is ready to go with this."
Sauschuk says the department will post the liaison position within two weeks, and hopes to hire someone as soon as possible. He anticipates that the program will expand further in the future.
