FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 1, 2018
Contact: Tracey Lynn Shifflett
301.602.8688
Tracey@safeproject.us
WASHINGTON, DC – This week, more than 5,000 justice and recovery professionals on the front lines of
the nation’s battle against the opioid epidemic have convened in Houston for the National Association
of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) annual conference, the world’s largest conference on addiction
and the justice system.
In an inaugural scholarship program through its Law Enforcement & Medical Response Line of
Operation, S.A.F.E. Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) provided three unique
opportunities for law enforcement professionals to gain education, training and a network of support
in the fight against the nation’s opioid epidemic.
“Law enforcement professionals are on the front lines of the addiction crisis in our country, and having
them embrace a response that doesn’t rely on arrests and incarceration begins with education,” said
S.A.F.E. Project Co-Chair Admiral Sandy Winnefeld. “Offering training to members of law
enforcement is a critical component to the S.A.F.E. Project strategy, and we are grateful to our
partners at NADCP for working with us to identify this inaugural opportunity.”
The scholarships were presented in May to two Deputy Sheriffs of the Harris County Sheriff
Department in Pennsylvania, and a Sergeant of the Houston Police Department. The officers were
chosen based on the needs of their departments and their roles in the opioid crisis, with a keen focus
on community involvement.
The inaugural program is aimed at filling the gap in education and training opportunities afforded law
enforcement officers on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, while also fundamentally changing how
law enforcement views their interactions with those suffering from substance use disorder. Sponsoring
Law Enforcement officers to attend training on best practice policing, the science of addiction and
innovative pre-trial and post-arrest diversion programs, is a major step in the organization’s
nationwide “S.A.F.E. Communities” initiative.
“The scholarships provided by S.A.F.E Project help ensure law enforcement have the training they
need to respond to the opioid epidemic. NADCP is honored to partner with the S.A.F.E. Project US as
we continue to ensure people struggling with opioid use disorder have access to life-saving treatment,”
said NADCP CEO Carson Fox.
After choosing from more than thirty tracks and hundreds of hours of educational sessions this week,
the scholarship recipients will return to their departments and share what they learned with their law
enforcement colleagues. They will also continue to work with the S.A.F.E. Project US team to identify
opportunities to share what they’ve learned with other departments, and future potential scholarship
recipients.
“At the end of the day, S.A.F.E. Project hopes to increase the number of law enforcement agencies
proactively engaging with their communities to both decrease drug supply and demand in this national
crisis,” concluded ADM Winnefeld.
The scholarship recipients will be recognized during keynote remarks by S.A.F.E. Project Co-Chairs
Admiral and Mrs. Winnefeld during conference closing ceremonies on June 2.
About S.A.F.E. Project:
S.A.F.E. Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic) is a non-governmental
organization that is committed to contributing in a tangible way to overcoming the epidemic of opioid
addiction in the United States. The organization uses an action-oriented, fact-based, non-partisan
approach to substantial progress through six interdependent lines of operation that address public
awareness, full-spectrum prevention, prescription medicine, law enforcement and medical response,
treatment and recovery and family outreach and support. The organization was founded in November
2017 by retired Navy Admiral and former ninth vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff James
Winnefeld and his wife Mary Winnefeld, after they lost their 19-year old son, Jonathan, to an
accidental opioid overdose. For more information, please visit safeproject.us.
About National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP):
NADCP is the premier membership, training, and advocacy organization for the treatment court model,
which now includes over 3,000 programs found in every state, four territories, and over twenty
countries. Since 1994, NADCP and its divisions—the National Drug Court Institute, National Center for
DWI Courts, and Justice For Vets—have trained hundreds of thousands of professionals spanning legal,
clinical, psychosocial, and law enforcement fields. NADCP regularly publishes cutting-edge, researchbased
materials—including the groundbreaking Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards—and the
association works tirelessly to improve the response of the American justice system to people with
substance use and mental health disorders. For more information go to AllRise.org.
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