WASHINGTON — Marion Police Chief John Garcia, along with other Plymouth County Outreach Representatives, recently attended the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative's third annual National Law Enforcement Summit.

The three-day event starting on Dec. 4 in Washington D.C. brought together more than 100 law enforcement and recovery leaders from across the United States and Canada to share collaborative efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in their own communities.

Garcia spoke about about new initiatives, including police working with their local school systems and community to provide resources for children affected by substance use, identifying individuals who are at the highest risk of an overdose and providing  services to help those individuals obtain long-term recovery and harm reduction education.