ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – In the wake of recent overdose deaths and two arrests earlier this week, Delta County has been hit hard by the presence of drugs. One police department is helping people ready to overcome their addiction to make a change.
The Escanaba Public Safety Department launched Michigan’s first Angel Program in 2016, following a model originally created on the East Coast.
“If you know an addicted individual and they’re ready to get help, they can walk through our door here at Escanaba Public Safety 24/7,” said Public Safety Director John Gudwer. “We have a questionnaire that we sit down and fill out with them.”
Public Safety works with the individual to determine what type of treatment path is right for them. Then, officers connect them with the best treatment facility, no matter where it is in the state. If the individual does not have the means to get there themselves, community volunteers known as angels lend a hand.
“They transport this individual to wherever they need to go,” Gudwer explained. “We have an account, and the Community Foundation [for Delta County] holds that money for us. We give a debit card to our angels and we cover the gas, we cover the food, we cover the lodging if needed. Once they go to a treatment facility, they learn tools to be able to cope, to be able to survive, and hopefully not fall right back into that addiction.”
The Angel Program is completely voluntary every step of the way, ensuring those struggling with addiction can seek help without fear.
“Even if they’re in possession of drugs or paraphernalia, they can turn that over to us and we will not charge them for that,” said Gudwer. “Now, if you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, we’re bound by having to follow the judge’s order on that and take you into custody, but that would be the only reason. Even if we get the questionnaire completed and they say, ‘I don’t want to do it now,’ we’re not going to change our mind and try to charge them criminally. People can feel safe walking through our doors.”
Public Safety saw its first confirmed fentanyl death in 2022. Overdose rates have continued to increase since then. Gudwer says the Angel Program is one way to save lives and connect people with the resources they need to live a better one.
“Jail is not always the answer for these people,” he said. “We can better help our community if we can save one, two, ten, however many individuals we can get from being addicted, that’s a lot better thing than just sending them to jail, they get back out, they do it all over again, they go back into jail, and it’s just a revolving door.”
Breaking that “revolving door” cycle starts with a personal decision.
“There’s no one that can do it for them,” said Gudwer. “They have to want it and do it for themselves, but we’ll help facilitate anything we can to get them to that help.”
The Angel Program is open to residents of Delta County. The only potential factors that could lead Public Safety to deny an interested individual would be a violent criminal history, outstanding warrants, and a history of drug dealing.
To learn more about the Angel Program, contact Director Gudwer at (906) 786-5912 or jgudwer@escanaba.org. Those interested can also visit Escanaba Public Safety at 1900 3rd Avenue North any time of day or night, but visiting between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. is encouraged.
