The South-Central Ohio Major Crimes Unit is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a United States Bureau of Justice Assistance COSSAP (Comprehensive Opioid Stimulant Substance Abuse Program) grant in
the amount of $1,300,000. This grant which will largely focus on the task force’s outreach program Project FORT will fund program activities over the next three years. Project FORT which has become an integral part of the Major Crimes Unit’s comprehensive approach to curbing drug trafficking and substance use throughout Fairfield County will seek to expand housing opportunities, decrease transportation barriers, and continue to perform robust outreach to those with substance use disorders.
Commander Lowe said that “Since its inception in 2018 Project FORT has made a difference in Fairfield County and is saving lives”. This unique blending of enforcement and outreach is changing the course of people’s lives and providing expedited treatment and recovery opportunities for those with substance use disorders. FORT connects those in need with critical access to treatment and recovery programs through its network of care outside of the criminal justice system. “These dollars will provide expedited access; and help ease current barriers like housing and transportation which inhibit people’s ability to enter or
stay in recovery.”
Commander Lowe went on to say that “This award is significant, and further validates that leaders at the state and federal level recognize the great work being done in Fairfield County by the Major Crimes Unit,
and Project FORT through its strategic partnerships with Law Enforcement and the Treatment and Recovery community.
The Major Crimes Unit is a collaborative Law Enforcement Ohio HIDTA Task Force which includes the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Lancaster Police Department, Pickerington Police Department, Logan Police Department, Circleville Police Department, Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, Athens Police Department, Athens County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio University Police Department, Ohio National Guard Counter Drug Program, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, and the Fairfield, Hocking, Athens, and Pickaway County Prosecutors Offices.
Project FORT is a collaboration which includes the Fairfield County ADAM-H Board, The Recovery Center, Ohio Guidestone, Lancaster Recovery Services, Creed of Recovery, New Horizons, Hope Valley, The Lighthouse Recovery Services, Connections West, Lutheran Social Services, The Vineyard, Lancaster Fire Department, Violet Twp Fire Department, Fairfield Medical Center, Fairfield County Health Department, and many other community partners.
