HACKENSACK – Forty people were arrested in Bergen County this week on drug or drug-related charges and offered a bed at a local detox program in the hope they will begin a path to recovery from addiction.
“Operation Helping Hand” resulted in arrests every day from Sunday through Thursday, officials said.
When it was over, 11 of the 40 arrestees agreed to the county’s offer to enter a five-day detox program at Bergen Regional Medical Center. Another agreed to enter a detox program at the Bergen County Jail.
Those who chose to enter treatment still face criminal charges, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal.
“It’s our sincere hope they will get better,” Gurbir told reporters during a press conference announcing the mutli-jurisdictional initiative on Thursday.
opiate-map.jpgA map shows where Bergen County’s heroin and opiate overdoses occurred in a one-year period. (Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office)
In 2015, there were 87 fatal overdoses in Bergen County, the prosecutor said.
Of 288 total overdoses, 231 were related to heroin or other opiates, he said.
In 2015, the hardest hit municipalities in Bergen County were:
Garfield, 23 overdoses
Lyndhurst, 20 overdoses
Fort Lee, 15 overdoses
Lodi, 15 overdoses
Cliffside Park, 14 overdoses
So far in 2016, there have been 48 overdose fatalities, of which 40 were heroin-related.
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To address the issue, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office collaborated with Bergen Regional Medical Center to set aside five-day detox beds for a one-week period for people battling addiction who were caught up in the drug sweep, the prosecutor said.
“In addition to arresting them, task force members presented the option of participating in the voluntary detox program at Bergen Regional Medical Center,” Grewal said. “The detox program was not in lieu of criminal charges.”
Grewal acknowledged that a five-day detox would not necessarily be successful in deterring addicts from future drug use and criminal behavior.
“But it’s a start,” the prosecutor said, adding that he hoped many of those arrested would agree to and eventually enter long-term treatment.
Michael J. Paolello, executive director of the hospital’s Evergreen Treatment Center, said many of the addicts he’s seen would not have come for treatment without prompting from law enforcement.
“Some are afraid, some just don’t know where to go to get help,” Paolello said.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.