HAMMOND, LA – At a press conference earlier this morning, several Tangipahoa Parish law enforcement agencies came together to announce a new effort to help combat the drug problem in our community with help for addicts.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards and local law enforcement leaders were joined by Tangipahoa Parish officials to announce that they are bringing Operation Angel to Tangipahoa Parish. Participating authorities include the Ponchatoula Police Department, the Hammond Police Department, Tickfaw Police Department, Independence, Roseland, and Kentwood Police Departments, the 7th Ward Marshal’s Office, Tangipahoa Parish 9-1-1, Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney Scott Perrilloux, and 21st Judicial District Chief Judge Robert Morrison.
Operation Angel is a program designed to help people with addictions ranging from cocaine to alcohol get help. Historically, law enforcement has addressed the problem of drug addiction by simply placing the addict in jail, feeding a stigma that keeps users from seeking help. Operation Angel follows in the footsteps of a program out of Gloucester, Massachusetts which was started in 2015, but it’s the first of its kind in Louisiana.