Northwestern Hosts Forum on Law Enforcement Deflection Models

Winsted – CT State Northwestern, in collaboration with McCall Behavioral Health Network, will host retired East Bridgewater, MA police chief, Scott Allen from Operation 2 Save Lives and QRT National in a facilitated discussion on deflection models for law enforcement aimed to help at risk populations access needed community resources. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 2, 2024, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Founders Hall Auditorium, 2 Park Place, Winsted and is open to all interested in this topic. There is no charge, but registration is required to reserve a seat. A networking luncheon will be provided during the summit in the Draper Conference Center.

“This forum aims to bring public safety and public health partners together to address community social health needs,” said Andrew Wetmore, Northwestern Director of Student Activities and event organizer. “We hope attendees leave with strategies and a roadmap of next steps in rolling out successful models in their communities throughout the state, including identifying key partners for success, guiding questions to assess readiness, and next steps for implementation.”

Northwestern Police Deflection Forum Topics for discussion include collaborative responses to addiction, breaking down silos, opening doors of communication, addressing help for those with mental health disorders, drug endangered children, the impacts of trauma, as well as situational awareness and de-escalation strategies. Local experts will review the current overdose crisis faced by our communities and the root causes of addiction and mental health, which are driving the need for innovation and new ways of addressing the crisis.
“Scott Allen will engage the audience in discussion on the theory and emerging pathways of deflection as a strategy for connecting with vulnerable persons and families and deflecting at-risk populations away from the criminal justice system and emergency departments – while connecting people to treatment, resources, and support,” said Wetmore.
The audience will also have the opportunity to network with Connecticut leadership currently participating in the deflection model known as Community and Law Enforcement for Addiction Recovery or CLEAR.

Financial support for this event has been made possible by The Connecticut Healthy Campus Initiative (CHCI) administered by Wheeler Clinic with funding from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).

To register, go to Eventbrite and search for Connecticut-police-deflection-summit. For more information contact Andrew Wetmore, Director of Student Activities at awetmore@nwcc.edu.