August 31, 2020
On Monday, August 31, 2020, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Chief Assistant Prosecutor Bradford Seabury spoke at the 5th Annual Overdose Awareness Day and memorial tree dedication held outside of the Morris County Human Services Department.
Under the leadership of Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has partnered with numerous agencies and remains committed to fighting the opioid epidemic.
CAP Seabury joined other speakers Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, State Senator Anthony Bucco, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Freeholder Director Deborah Smith, Peer Recovery Specialist for CARES – Prevention is Key, Kelly LaBar, Morris Alliance co-founder Kathleen Hyland and Carol Egan of Global Recovery Movement, who all highlighted the collaborative efforts and programs working to curb opioid addiction and provide paths to recovery within Morris County. Other speakers included Pastor Sidney Williams, Rabbi Mendy Herson, and Rebecca Finnerty, who shared her experience as a mother who lost a child to an overdose.
CAP Seabury highlighted Prosecutor Knapp’s initiation of the Countywide Narcan program in 2015, which has enabled Morris County law enforcement to save 850 overdose victims to date. Through effective prevention, treatment and enforcement, CAP Seabury recognized Morris County’s collaborative approach of treating substance use disorder as a disease.
CAP Seabury said “Since 2014, we’ve lost over 450 individuals in Morris County to drug overdoses. Think of the ripple affect their unnecessary, untimely deaths have had on their families and friends. It is critical that we pause on this day and recognize what is happening. From a law enforcement perspective, we dread seeing families destroyed by this disease. We will continue to fight to save lives, through programs like Operation Helping Hand, making arrests not with the goal of putting people in prison, but instead, steer them to treatment.”
Prosecutor Knapp said “Every day, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office stands with our law enforcement and treatment partners to fight this scourge. Through education, enforcement and treatment, it is our goal to stem the tide of addiction.”
International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held every year to spread the message that overdose deaths are preventable.
At podium: Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Chief Assistant Prosecutor Bradford Seabury.