CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN SECURES MAJOR FUNDING FOR ULSTER COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY
Congressman Pat Ryan Secures Major Funding for Ulster County Public Safety
Ryan delivers $400,000 for Ulster County to implement a crisis intervention team to combat the addiction and overdose epidemic
KINGSTON, NY – Today, Congressman Pat Ryan secured $400,000 for the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office to implement a crisis intervention team to combat the addiction and overdose epidemic. The crisis intervention team will partner with the Ulster County Department of Mental Health, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Opioid Response as County Law Enforcement's High Risk Mitigation Team (ORACLE). The federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant programs.
“Our local law enforcement officers are on the front lines of the opioid epidemic – we need to get them the proper resources to carry out the enormous responsibilities entrusted to them. These federal dollars will go a long way to combatting the addiction crisis and keeping Hudson Valley families safe, ” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “I’m proud to have supported the ORACLE program since day one – what Sheriff Figueroa and the entire Ulster County Sheriff’s Office have done is nothing short of remarkable. I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to combat the opioid crisis.”
“For the past five years this office and our communities have been aggressively battling the Opioid epidemic. Our local, state, and federal partners have assisted us with this endeavor taking a multi-front approach of combating supply and demand while simultaneously using innovative ideas and strategies to connect those with the resources for help and recovery,” said Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa. “The frontline work of our ORACLE team identified that 28 % of all non-fatal overdoses were intentional in 2022. The Federal DOJ COPS grant will establish a behavioral health co-response team fully embedded with our law enforcement. This co-response team will be known as the Support and Advocacy through Frontline Engagement (SAFE) Team. Together with the partnership of behavior health providers they will bridge the gap and help connect those with mental and behavior health issues associated with substance use disorder. We look forward to working with the County Executive, the Department of Mental Health, and our local and federal partners for the betterment of our community.”
“I want to extend my congratulations to Sheriff Juan Figueroa and his team at the Ulster County Sheriff's Office on receiving the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Policing Development grant, and express my gratitude for their dedication to our community’s safety and resilience, and for continuously innovating to address the public safety challenges we face today,” said Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger. “With these additional funds, the ORACLE team will be able to expand collaboration with community organizations on the ground and ensure that law enforcement responds appropriately and effectively in crisis situations involving mental health and substance use disorder.”
The new team will be made up of 2 CIT trained Officers, 1 Crisis Clinical Social Worker, and 1 Mental Health Peer Advocate.
In September, Congressman Ryan secured a $300,000 COPS grant for the Middletown Police Department to upgrade the Department’s technology investments. Congressman Ryan also cosponsors the Invest to Protect Act of 2023 to extend COPS grant opportunities to smaller police departments as well.
Congressman Ryan has long advocated for increased funding for law enforcement and first responders, including making repeated calls for increased funding to combat fentanyl trafficking and cosponsoring legislation to establish a grant program to provide additional assistance to local law enforcement agencies. Last October, Congressman Ryan joined with local law enforcement to announce that over $2.6 million in federal funds were secured for local law enforcement agencies through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.
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