The tri-town police chiefs are set to receive a national honor for their participation in a countywide effort to combat the opioid epidemic. 

The Plymouth County Outreach program, which has participation from all 27 municipalities, will receive a national community policing award for effectively addressing the opioid issue by offering help to addicts. 

On Monday, Rochester Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar congratulated Chief Small on the accomplishment and briefed the Board of Selectmen on the program.

Plymouth County Outreach is a program focused on combating opioid addiction and facilitating addiction recovery. The PCO is a collaboration between law enforcement and non-law enforcement agencies such as the District Attorney’s Office, the five major hospitals in the county, District Court Probation, and community coalitions. 

The two main priorities of the program are overdose follow-up and community drop-in centers.

The goal is to provide an outreach team consisting of a plain clothes police officer, a licensed clinician, and a recovery coach who will conduct a home visit of the overdose survivor to provide resources for treatment.

In addition to the outreach visits, community drop in centers are open in various sites across Plymouth County.

Plymouth County Outreach is a large scale approach to dealing with a massive issue. 

Rochester Police Chief Robert Small said that the program has been successful in lowering overdoses and deaths, while at the same time increasing treatment.

Additionally, the program will be awarded an approximately $500,000 grant, to be paid over the course of the next two years.

On Oct. 9 the county will be awarded the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership in Community Policing Award at the IACP Annual Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida.