Director Lane and Chief Hodges
* Photo courtesy of Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership
Benton Police Department has been awarded funds through the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership to form an Overdose Response Team. The check was presented Wednesday by ARORP Director Kirk Lane, former Benton Police chief, to current Benton Police Chief Scotty Hodges.
Overdose Response Teams through ARORP enable law enforcement agencies to hire an overdose investigator and a Peer Recovery Specialist, according to Chief Hodges.
“The investigator will seek out suppliers for prosecution with assistance from the DEA Tactical Drug Division,” said Hodges, “and the Peer Recovery Specialist will provide counseling and follow-up to overdose victims regarding treatment and recovery services, as well as engage in community education regarding substance abuse.”
He added that BNPD is honored to work with Director Lane and the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership to continue efforts to abate the Arkansas opioid epidemic.
“This has been a long-standing partnership and joint goal of many to curb this epidemic. The pandemic was a huge setback nationwide for these efforts, but with programs such as ARORP and projects such as the Overdose Response Team, things are looking up. We’re excited to see what progress will be made, and again, we say thank you for enabling our department to increase efforts in this battle.”
Arkansas received master settlement funding from the National Prescription Opiate Litigation that was split evenly between the Arkansas Municipal League, the Arkansas Association of Counties, and the Office of the Attorney General. In 2022, the Arkansas Municipal League and the Arkansas Association of Counties came together to create the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP), which represents an unprecedented, united front between the representatives of local government
against opioid misuse in Arkansas. Using the Arkansas Opioids MOU, settlement agreements, and court orders approving settlements and bankruptcies, ARORP funds evidenced-based programs and strategies to abate the opioid epidemic in Arkansas’s cities and counties.
For additional information regarding ARORP, visit www.arorp.org. For department-specific inquiries, contact Benton Police Department at 501-776-5948.