Latest news with #SteveNorris
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Dozens of Narcan stations targeted, cleared out in Oakland County, Michigan
A local organization is working to track down the person responsible for clearing out multiple save-a-life naloxone stations across Oakland County in the last few weeks. "We've seen a great decrease in actual overdose fatalities here in Oakland County," said Steve Norris, director of recovery support for the Alliance of Coalitions. Norris believes access to Naloxone, also called Narcan, an overdose reversal medication, plays a major role in the drop in deaths in Oakland County. That resource, along with many others, is provided in more than 100 save-a-life stations scattered in multiple communities across the county. "So, unfortunately, a few weeks ago, we had either one or multiple individuals decide that it would be a good idea to completely empty those stations out," Norris said. Officials said 38 stations were impacted. Norris is unsure of the motive but has his suspicions. "Panic related to federal funding being pulled, perhaps SAMSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) being pulled. There could be fear related to what's going to happen if these vital tools for our community are taken away by the federal government and that's valid. However, it hasn't happened yet," Norris stated. Norris is disappointed and says that though the nonprofit has enough supplies to restock these stations, actions like these restrict vital, lifesaving medicine to those whose lives depend on it. "Taking those resources in bulk from those machines hurts the community the most. We're here as a resource, so if you're concerned about those problems, let's talk, let's have a conversation," said Norris. Out of respect for the community's privacy, the Alliance of Coalitions has said previously that it will not look at surveillance video of these save-a-life stations. However, because of these incidents, the organization did look at the video and believes it has identified the person responsible.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oakland County plan to keep non-violent offenders out of jail for certain crimes
The Brief Oakland County sheriff and lawmakers are part of LEAD – to help keep nonviolent offenders out of jail. ⅔ of those arrested have underlying mental or behavioral health conditions. The goal is to keep non-violent offenders from going to jail and falling into a cycle of crime. PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Oakland County Sheriff and Prosecutor's Officer are working with mental health, substance abuse, and behavioral leaders in the county to prevent non-violent offenders from going to jail for certain crimes. The Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities (The Alliance) announced its new partnership this week with law enforcement in the county called Let Everyone Advance With Dignity – or LEAD. The idea of LEAD is simple – keep people who committed certain non-violent crimes out of jail. Dig deeper According to The Alliance, ⅔ of all people arrested have underlying mental health or substance-use disorder. This kind of program can help people turn the corner and end a cycle of crimes, according to Steve Norris from the Alliance. "If that catalyst is that first interaction and they so choose to get that help, it avoids probably decades of pain and misery in the future," he said. The Alliance is partnering with the prosecutor and sheriff to get people help instead of sending them to jail if they have a low-level contact with law enforcement for low misdemeanors and non-violent offenses. "Instead of going to a jail and creating a criminal history, we're diverting them to vital services to help lift those people up." said Oakland County Sheriff Sgt. Chris Miller. "It might also be where an officer realizes – here's a person that's struggling and they're in constant contact with the police – so that officer will now have the discretion and say 'I think this person needs services'." The sheriff's office is still working now to determine who gets diverted and selected vs being booked into jail. "We're working on our policy and procedure in that regard," he said. Prosecutor Karen McDonald said it simply doesn't make sense to keep sending people to jail. "We have so many people who end up in the criminal justice system because they need mental health services. It doesn't make sense for anybody, it doesn't make sense for the offender, for our community, for our law enforcement, or for our tax payer," McDonald said. The sheriff's office says they expect some of these guidelines and training protocols to be laid out before the summer and will rely on collaborations from multiple partners to make it a reality. The Source FOX 2's HIlary Golston spoke to the sheriff's office, the Alliance, and the prosecutor's office for details on this story.
CBS News
25-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Oakland County program provides alternative to jail and prosecution
A new program set to begin in March in Oakland County will keep people who commit low-level crimes out of jail while also connecting them with the resources they need to get help. The program is called Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD), and those behind the mission say it's an opportunity to provide a better pathway for people who may have broken the law but need support. "One of the reasons why we're interested in creating a program like this is so we can avoid people getting into the justice system itself," said Steve Norris, Alliance of Coalitions Director of Overdose Prevention and Recovery Support. Norris says starting in two weeks, the nonprofit will partner with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and Oakland County Prosecutor's Office to launch LEAD. It's a program that will not prosecute people who commit nonviolent crimes, will keep them out of jail and connect them to resources for recovery. "So, let's just say someone came into contact with a law enforcement agent for a low-level offense. They'd be referred into the program. That person would be assigned a case manager, and we have three of those case managers at the alliance that would work with that individual along their pathway. Whatever their needs were, whether it be housing insecurity, food insecurity, treatment for substance use disorder, connection to mental health treatment," Norris said. The initiative was first started in Seattle, Washington, 10 years ago. It's also been incorporated in Washtenaw County in Michigan and has proven to be successful. Norris says an arrest could hinder the recovery for those who struggle with mental health or substance abuse. He's confident this program will get them back on their feet. "I'm hoping to keep people out of the system quite frankly. That's where a lot of people find a lot of pressure, shame, issues navigating. We want to deal with that in a different approach and we want to connect them to social workers and counselors to be able to help them prior to having to enter into the legal system," said Norris. Norris says this pilot program will start small and will only be offered in Pontiac to make sure it operates smoothly. In time, it will expand throughout all of Oakland County.
