Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, along with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and health care professionals will host a community meeting on Wednesday, August 15, to discuss the effects of the opioid crisis in this area.
The meeting, which will be held at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church, 195 Ridgewood Avenue in Glen Ridge, starts at 6 p.m. and will run to 8 p.m.
“Those of us in law enforcement recognize that a large part of addressing this issue must include prevention. The goal of this meeting is to share with the community how the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and others in law enforcement are partnering with the health care community to provide alternatives to prosecution when it comes to the opioid crisis,’’ said Acting Prosecutor Laurino.
The community meeting in a second in a series of meetings in which the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office are engaging the community to discuss important issues. The previous community meeting, held in May, dealt with how police involved shootings are investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. Two other meetings will be scheduled in the fall and winter dealing with immigration and bias crimes.
The meetings are part of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s 21st Century Community Policing Project, designed to promote stronger police-community relations by bringing law enforcement together in all 21 counties, at least four times a year, to discuss issues of mutual concern.
In addition to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the meeting in Glen Ridge will include speakers from RWJ St. Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, the Essex County Department of Health and two non-profits — Integrity House, and ADAPT (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team).
Members of the public are invited to attend.
