MPD recognizes National Deflection Week
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Madison, Wis. – The Madison Police Department is pleased to announce its involvement in National Deflection Week and the efforts being done to help those experiencing substance use disorders in the community.
The Madison Area Recovery Initiative (MARI) actively seeks opportunities to divert and deflect people from the criminal justice system and features pre-arrest diversion and multi-disciplinary community outreach components. Police deflection programs aim to reduce crime by connecting people with mental health or substance use struggles to treatment and recovery resources.
“We are here to help. We believe we cannot arrest our way out of this opioid epidemic,” said Madison Police Captain Diane Nachtigal, who oversees the MARI program.
The MARI Resource Team distributes Naloxone, also known by the brand name of Narcan, at no charge to people living with addiction. Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The team also has fentanyl test strips and xylazine test strips free of charge.
Where Can You Find Us
The team does weekly outreach at locations all across the city. Here’s a list of the locations we visit. Times will vary each week.
• Dane County Job Center (1819 Aberg Ave)
• Luke House (310 S Ingersoll St)
• Madison Public Library – Central (201 W Mifflin St)
• Madison Public Library – Lakeview (2845 N. Sherman Ave)
• Men’s Emergency Drop-in Shelter (2002 Zeier Rd)
• Safe Haven (4006 Nakoosa Trl)
• The Salvation Army Family Shelter (4502 Milwaukee St)
• Red Roof Inn (4830 Hayes Rd)
• Ho-Chunk Gaming (4002 Evan Acers Rd)
• East Madison Community Center (8 Straubel Ct)
• Bethel Lutheran Church (312 Wisconsin Ave)
More Information
For more information about MARI, call or text 608-416-9478 or email MARI@cityofmadison.com. You can also learn more about the program by visiting the Madison Police Department’s website.
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