WECOSS Action Plan Guiding Recommendation [EIGHT]: 

Redefine the role for enforcement agencies and other first responders to build “public safety-public health” partnerships for a safer and healthier community.

Goal: To strengthen community safety through partnerships using a coordinated approach between neighborhood groups, police, municipal and peer leaders and other community stakeholders as a means to address opioid-related crime and other substance use issues.

Summary of Activities: In the City of Windsor, four community groups were already established. A critical review of the evidence for best practices on police-community collaborations was prepared to guide and set forth recommendations. Partnerships were formalized to ensure each will have ongoing membership from a designated Community Resource Officer (Windsor Police Service). These officers can be a visible and direct resource for a given neighborhood and will also work with the community group to proactively identify and address local concerns.

Measurable Outputs:

• 1 report outlining best practices on police-community relations prepared to guide community collaboration

• 4 Windsor Police Service Community Resource Officers assigned and participating in formalized partnership with 4 community groups for a safer community

WECOSS Action Plan Guiding Recommendation [EIGHT]: 

Redefine the role for enforcement agencies and other first responders to build “public safety-public health” partnerships for a safer and healthier community.

Goal: To raise the profile of local enforcement agencies as a “community resource” by increasing public awareness of the community outreach role of law enforcement through a variety of communication channels.

Summary of Activities: The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act  provides some legal protection for people who experience or witness an overdose and seek help by calling 911 in an overdose situation. To promote the Good Samaritan Act a poster was developed in collaboration from all 4 local enforcement agencies. Additional work included promoting the services of the Mental Health Response Unit and COAST (a multidisciplinary team that includes a social worker and plain clothes police officer with training to deal with those experiencing a mental health crisis), as well as the 24/7 crisis phone line to the public and community agencies that work those with mental health and substance use issues.

Measurable Outputs:

• 1000 Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act  posters were printed and the majority have been distributed throughout Windsor and Essex County
• 3 social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and corporate websites were used to increase public awareness of the elements of the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act

WECOSS Action Plan Guiding Recommendation [EIGHT]: 

Redefine the role for enforcement agencies and other first responders to build “public safety-public health” partnerships for a safer and healthier community.

Goal: To investigate the feasibility of additional programming that diverts people from the Justice System to appropriate social and health supports by further incorporating drug related cases into diversion programs.

Summary of Activities: Initial work on this project involved an informal examination of the existing Drug Treatment Court (DTC) in the City of Windsor. The project lead was invited to join the local drug treatment court committee. Participating in this committee’s meetings illuminated that at the present time, there is no way to increase the frequency of DTC.  Specifically, an increased number of spots available in DTC would impact and apply more pressure on those community providers already at the table.

Next Steps:

• To examine the potential to have diversion programming in areas outside of Windsor, such as the Leamington area
• To provide education to frontline staff at enforcement agencies about the role DTC can play in a client's life