NEWARK, NJ — 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, Aug. 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 Ave. in Glen Ridge, will run from 6 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,” acting Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino said in a press release.
This community meeting is the second in a series of meetings in which ECPO and N.J. 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 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 RJW St. Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery, the Essex County Department of Health and two nonprofits, Integrity House and ADAPT.
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