For Immediate Release

Monday, May 11, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-865-4110

**Media Advisory**
Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello Traveling to Washington to Meet with Senators, Congressmen, and Office of National Drug Control Policy

Media Availability Tuesday at 6 p.m.

GPD Facebook Post Approaching 2,000,000 Views as of Monday Afternoon

GLOUCESTER — Police Chief Leonard Campanello will travel to Washington D.C. Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with government leaders and explain Gloucester’s historic shift in drug policy while lobbying for increased funding for drug treatment efforts.

“We are poised to make revolutionary changes in the way we treat this disease,” Chief Campanello said.

Chief Campanello will meet with both U.S. Senators from Massachusetts, Congressman Seth Moulton, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy during the trip.

The original Facebook post made by Chief Campanello has reached nearly 2 million views.

Chief Campanello will hold a media availability on Tuesday and will be scheduling one-on-one media interviews based on availability.

Media outlets are kindly asked to RSVP for our planning purposes.

WHO:

• Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello
• Massachusetts State Rep. Donald H. Wong (R-Saugus)
• Massachusetts State Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester)

Media Contact on Location: John Guilfoil – 781-752-9877 (cell)

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 6 p.m.

WHERE:

Edward R. Murrow Park
Corner of Pennsylvania Avenue NW and 18th Sreet NW
Washington, D.C.

WHAT:

Original media release from May 5:

In a historic shift in police drug policy, Police Chief Leonard Campanello announced at a citywide forum that the Gloucester Police Department is implementing major changes to the way it handles the opioid and drug epidemic that has swept through every community in the nation.

The Gloucester Police Department will implement the following measures, beginning in June:

1. Any addict who walks into the police station with the remainder of their drug equipment (needles, etc.) or drugs and asks for help will NOT be charged. Instead, Gloucester Police will walk them through the system toward detox and recovery.

“We will assign them an ‘angel’ who will be their guide through the process. Not in hours or days, but on the spot,” Chief Campanello said.

Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester and Lahey Clinic have committed to helping fast track people that walk into the police department so that they can be assessed rapidly and the proper care can be administered quickly.

2. Nasal Narcan has just been made available at local pharmacies without a prescription. The police department has entered into an agreement with Conley’s Drug Store and is working on one with CVS that will allow anyone access to the drug at little to no cost regardless of their insurance.

“The police department will pay the cost of nasal narcan for those without insurance,” Chief Campanello said. “We will pay for it with money seized from drug dealers during investigations. We will save lives with the money from the pockets of those who would take them. We recognize that nasal narcan is not the answer, but it is saving lives and no one in this City will be denied a life saving drug for this disease just because of a lack of insurance. Conley’s has also agreed to assist with insurance requests from those who do not have any.”

3. Chief Campanello will travel to Washington,D.C. with the support of Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, the City Council, Senator Bruce Tarr, and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, on May 12 and 13.

There, he will meet with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Congressman Seth Moulton.

“I will bring what Gloucester is accomplishing and challenge them to change at the federal level how we receive aid, support and assistance,” Chief Campanello said. “I will bring the idea of how far Gloucester is willing to go to fight this disease and will ask them to hold federal agencies, insurance companies and businesses accountable for building a support system that can eradicate opiate addiction and provide long term, sustainable support to reduce recidivism.”

Chief Campanello plans to lobby the Federal Government to increase the share of monies seized from drug dealers that is given to local communities, earmarking it for recovery and prevention services.

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