Gurnee votes to help fund drug treatment program
Since June 2016, around 100 people addicted to drugs have gone to the Gurnee police station to surrender their drugs and seek help as part of a countywide program called "A Way Out." On Monday night, Gurnee pledged to contribute $10,000 to help keep the program going.
Instead of being charged with drug possession, the people who seek help are connected with the resources they need to defeat their drug addiction.
Deputy Chief Brian Smith said the program has proved to be popular in Lake County. Gurnee was one of the original seven departments to sign on last year, and since then more have been added, Smith said.
"Something needed to be done and it is another way to help people," Smith said.
The plan has helped around 250 people in just over a year.
Village Administrator Pat Muetz said the program recently lost some federal funding it relied on heavily. As a result, the task force running the program went to the Lake County Board for assistance while it works to find sustainable funding.
The Lake County Board agreed to provide a one-time award of $50,000, provided that the task force came up with matching funds, Muetz said.
The Gurnee village trustees voted unanimously to contribute $10,000. Four other villages have agreed to contribute $10,000 each.
The money will come from the police department's asset forfeiture funds, acquired through drug seizures and limited in how they can be spent. The department will have $88,660 of such funds left after the board's decision Monday night.
"Our police department and others found that it's very useful helping these people actually get help," Muetz said.
Smith said police are very committed to the program. He said one time the nearest facility that could help a person in need was in Chicago, so Gurnee police provided a ride there.
The people that seek help at the Gurnee police station through the program don't have to be residents of Gurnee or even of Lake County. According to village documents, more people have used the program at the Gurnee police station than at any other, at around 40 percent of the total.