Great Barrington Police Providing Resources for Local Families

Over the past couple of months we've witnessed the Great Barrington Police Department strengthen their commitment to the safety and well being of town residents.

Just a few of the initiatives that our local police department has prioritized and brought to fruition include:

• Naming a Five-Member Community Outreach Team which serves as a liaison with community groups and underrepresented citizens.

• Putting the 'Good Samaritan Law' into action. This law is designed to encourage those suffering from an overdose or who are present where someone else is experiencing an overdose to seek medical assistance.

• Connecting with the Deaf Community. GBPD has partnered with Karran Larson, LADC1, LMHC, Coordinator of Statewide SUD and Recovery Services and Deaf Recovery Coach Supervisor. Karran will train the officers on how to best interact with the deaf and hard of hearing community in an emergency and in other aspect of police duties.

Get our free mobile app

And now the department is offering yet another service. Chief Paul Storti recently announced that the the police department has taken another step toward providing resources for families in our community.

The department has partnered with the GB Family Resource Center, a program of nonprofit behavior health agency Clinical & Support Options under director Jason Godfrey. GB FRC is a community-based, family-driven program supporting families and their children (ages birth to 18).

Chief Storti made the following statement:

This is another great resource that our officers can utilize when interacting with community members. It’s yet another opportunity for our department to connect our residents to programs that are currently in place.

Some of the free resources that are provided by the Great Barrington Family Resource Center are parenting skills workshops, self-help groups, grandparent’s groups, stress management workshops and more. A full calendar of events can be found by going here.