Cleveland.com | John Benson
For nearly two years, one success story at a time is all the Parma Police Department wanted regarding its community outreach program, which provides avenues of treatment for drug addicts.
The department recently received good news in the form of a $50,000 Ohio Attorney General grant to fund the program for another year.
“At first, I was pretty impressed the attorney general would come out with something like this,” Parma Police Chief Joseph M. Bobak said. “We’ve had some pretty good success stories reaching out to people, getting them to talk with a counselor and getting on the right path.
“If somebody wants to walk in the front door and says they need help, or if we come across people who overdose and ask for help, we reach out to them after the fact to see if they need support.”
Parma Police Lt. Thomas Siedlicki said the program has been huge for law enforcement and the community.
“We’ve been getting some success stories and making some great community contacts,” Siedlicki said.
The Ohio Attorney General grant, which in 2017 awarded the city $87,500 to fund its community outreach program for two years, covers the overtime of Parma police officers who advertise rehabilitation opportunities throughout the community in varied fashions.