Nassau Police Resumes Program Aimed At Reducing Drug Overdoses

MINEOLA, NY — Natalie Ciappa is attached to a multi-pronged initiative by the Nassau County Police Department. Ciappa died from a drug overdose in 2008 at a home in Seaford.

"Operation Natalie" was established in her honor in 2018 as a way of helping decrease fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses across the county.

"We were getting results... through strong enforcement, through making sure people knew that they had access to treatment," County Executive Laura Curran said at a news conference.

But, the pandemic slowed all aspects of the community engagement, until now.

"People were isolated. There was a lot of despair," she said. "All of these things that lead to that downward spiral."

One step to directly address this matter, the county is adding a problem-orientated police (POP) officer to each precinct.

"We lost our way when it came to COVID," Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said. "We're bringing that fight back."

They weren't able to educate about the dangers of heroin and fentanyl during the pandemic because, in part, "we couldn't get to the schools," Ryder said.

In Nassau, there were 50 fatal overdoses and 334 non-fatal overdoses in 2017, he said. By the end of 2019, a year after "Operation Natalie," they saw a substantial drop in both categories.

"We were willing the battle," Ryder proclaimed.

However, in just the first six months of 2021, already 76 Nassau residents have died from a fatal overdose.

Ryder said the majority of people overdosing are between 21-30 years old.

"We are going to be reaching again to all of our family members," Ryder said.

The county has an app Nassau Cares that lists all the resources in the immediate area and a 24-hour mental health/addiction helpline, 516-227-TALK.