Free addiction program launching at all police stations in Macomb County

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WJBK) - A new initiative hoping to get addicts help and rehabilitation will soon launch in police departments all across Macomb County. The initiative is called Hope Not Handcuffs.

The initiative offers help and support to any addict who walks themself into the police station. Addicts can turn over their drugs without fear of arrest, and police will call a "Rehab Angel" who will sit with them and get them into a treatment center.

The initiative is totally free.

"If you walk in, we will get you help. You don't have to pay for anything. If you have insurance, great; if you don't, don't worry about it. Come in; we'll get you help," says Roseville Police Chief James Berlin.

The initiative is sponsored through Families Against Narcotics.

Police trained for the program earlier this week. It officially launches at all police departments in Macomb County on February 1, 2017.

"Heroin deaths, in particular, are just off the charts," Berlin says. "It's reaching pandmic proportions and a lot of people just don't know where to turn to."

Chief Berlin and other authorities are hoping this initiative will be the answer for many struggling with addiction.