Following a Collaborative Narcotics Investigation Resulting in Four Federal Arrests, Union County Prosecutor’s Office Brings Operation Helping Hand 24/7/365 Resources to the Impacted Elizabeth Neighborhood
On Friday, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Elizabeth Police Department, and Prevention Links hosted a pop-up Operation Helping Hand 24/7/365 (OHH 24/7/365) event on Third Street in downtown Elizabeth.
The event aimed to connect area residents struggling with substance use disorder with recovery resources.
The event held Friday followed the announcement made Thursday by the Acting United States Attorney Rachael A. Honig and Acting Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, that four Elizabeth residents were placed under federal arrest for their roles in conspiracies to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
Seizing on the unique opportunity created by the arrest of the four defendants, The Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Elizabeth Police Department, and Prevention Links hosted the OHH 24/7/365 pop-up event in the very area that was previously being used to conduct open-air narcotics transactions during the long-term investigation.
“Up until Thursday, those struggling with substance use disorder were coming to this neighborhood to buy illegal opioids. On Thursday, those who profited from their struggles were arrested," Prosecutor Ruotolo said.
"And on Friday morning, when would-be buyers returned to this neighborhood to purchase narcotics, they were instead met by members of law enforcement and recovery specialists working together to provide them with a new option and bring recovery resources to those who need it most. We must meet people where they are."
During the four-hour pop-up operation on Friday, twenty-five county residents engaged with recovery specialists from Prevention Links regarding the services provided through OHH 24/7/365. The Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Elizabeth Police Department, and Prevention Links intend to maintain a presence in the neighborhood.
“This investigation was a result of community and intra-agency collaboration,” Chief Sacca and Director Graves said in a joint statement. “The plans moving forward call for maintaining the safety of the neighborhood to allow for a greater quality of life.”
The Operation Helping Hand 24/7/365 program brings lifesaving recovery assistance to those in the throes of addiction throughout our community.
Thanks to a partnership between the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, Prevention Links, and the Union County Police Chiefs Association, any time an individual is arrested in Union County for a low-level opioid offense, they are immediately offered access to free recovery services through Prevention Links and the arresting officer.
The program also operates a 24/7 hotline, 1-855-825-3275, which residents can call at any time to begin their recovery journey.
Operation Helping Hand was first conceived of by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal when he served as Bergen County Prosecutor. As Attorney General, he has grown the program to reach every county in the state of New Jersey.
Union County was the first county to expand the program to a 24/7/365 model thanks to the generous support of the Governor’s Office, the Department of Law and Public Safety, and the Union County Board of Commissioners.
This initiative, and others geared toward addressing the opioid epidemic, have been bolstered by grant funding obtained from state and county governments.
Specifically, the Prosecutor’s Office was initially awarded $62,500 from the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety’s 2019 Overdose Data to Action Operation Helping Hand Grant.
The Prosecutor’s Office was also the recipient of $100,000 in grant funding through Governor Phil Murphy’s Operation Helping Hand Grant.
The acceptance of these blocks of grant funding was approved by the Union County Board of Commissioners and County Manager Edward T. Oatman.
In addition, the Commissioners also dedicated $110,000 in direct county funding to Prevention Links for the expansion of Operation Helping Hand in 2020.
For more information on Union County’s Operation Helping Hand 24/7/365, or to learn more about beginning your recovery journey, please visit the Union County Prosecutors Office Website.