County announces new program for opioid settlement funds
BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk will get two to three additional deputies thanks to a new program the county is launching with opioid settlement funds.
Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty, Sheriff Kirk and Martin County Attorney Melissa Phelps made a joint announcement Monday night to launch the newly adopted CARES (Community Action for Recovery Enhancement and Support) program.
In addition to enhancing safety by funding more law enforcement, the program will provide an assisted pathway to recovery for those in addiction recovery transition, slow down the revolving door of repeat drug offenders, maximize recovery resources and drive accountability.
“Our county has been ravaged by the opiate addiction crises for two decades or more,” Lafferty said. “I dare say there is not a person in our county or country that has not been affected by this issue.”
The judge said people who fall into addiction are not bad people.
“Oftentimes people innocently begin using an opiate, and before long, they actually fall into addiction and have no way out,” said Lafferty. “They often end up with the county attorney and the sheriff or, in the best-case scenario, find their way to treatment. Regardless, we need to show them compassion.”
The program will pay for a recovery resource manager in County Attorney Phelps’ office to help transition people from jail to treatment.
Phelps has had a volunteer working in her office for some time to help people with access to resources after they complete recovery and start to restore their lives.
“We found that they go back to the same homes they were living in,” Phelps said. “They don’t have jobs and are just at a loss at how to rebuild their lives after they attain sobriety.”
The resource manager will meet with individuals and direct them to resources to help them obtain housing and transportation and enroll in schools.
“It’s continued recovery support,” said Phelps. “And we’ve found that has been successful in keeping people from the revolving door.”
Phelps said the county is blessed with several recovery programs, “but what we have not done is help people once they have gotten themselves clean and sober to rebuild and restore their lives.”
Sheriff Kirk, whose office has operated with limited funding for years due to diminished coal severance tax funds, said he looks forward to working with Lafferty, the fiscal court and county attorney for the next four years.
“[Lafferty] promised the people that he would put law enforcement first, and he has proven today that he intends to do just that,” Kirk said.
The sheriff noted that he and the county attorney had worked closely together during the opioid pandemic.
“It’s through no fault of their own,” Kirk said of individuals dealing with drug addiction. “Basically a lot of people have given up on life. Anywhere you have an economic problem you have a problem with drugs.”
Kirk told the Mountain Citizen he hopes to hire certified deputies and get them on the street immediately. Otherwise, uncertified officers would have to attend training for 20-23 weeks.
According to Kirk, other sheriff’s offices in the state are getting contributions from their fiscal courts.
“It probably impacted the sheriff’s offices more than anybody,” said Kirk. “They’re the ones that have to go out and investigate the crimes when they happen.”
Kirk likes the approach the new CARES program is taking.
“If you could stomp out the drug problem, you would probably solve 90% of your crime problem,” he said. “It would obliterate it.”
Having two to three additional officers means more coverage for Kirk’s department.
“There will be more deputies on the road,” he said. “We’ll have backup. A lot of times we don’t have the backup. It may be just one deputy working or just me working. The state police may be our only backup and they may be in Magoffin County.”
The program will use $301,222 from opioid settlement grant funds and $100,000 from TRIBE grant funds. The funding is allocated as follows:
•Salaries and fringe benefits $175,275
•Supplies and travel $14,086
•Celebrate Recovery $3,750
•Recovery mini-grants $5,000
•Inmate work program $2,500