Gloucester Chief Still on "Leave of Absence" From Angel Program

GLOUCESTER, MA – In light of the allegations against terminated Police Chief Leonard Campanello, the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) says he remains on a "leave of absence."

PAARI, better known as the program that changed how many police departments approach the opioid epidemic, announced on Sept. 14 that Campanello had "stepped aside" from his role at PAARI. Campanello co-founded the initiative, and was the face of the program.

Last month, Campanello was placed on administration leave pending an internal investigation. Yesterday, Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken announced that the city would initiate termination proceedings for Campanello due to allegations regarding reported relationships with women. He is accused of tampering with evidence related to that investigation.

Following Campanello's administrative leave last month, PAARI co-founder and chairman John Rosenthal said in a statement that Campanello had "stepped aside from his role at PAARI to devote his full attention to resolving this issues." On Tuesday, PAARI public relations coordinator John Guilfoil said Campanello was still on a "leave of absence," and there were no updates on his role with PAARI.

Rosenthal said in his statement that the investigation was related to a personal matter, and "has nothing to do with PAARI."

"PAARI will continue, as before, in its mission to save lives, increase access to treatment for individuals suffering from the disease of addiction and seeking assistance, and supporting the work of law enforcement agencies across the country who want to do more to fight the opioid epidemic," wrote Rosenthal in his statement.

Campanello developed the Angel Initiative in 2015 as a new way to fight the opioid epidemic in Gloucester. His idea was to make it so drug users who asked the police department for help would not be arrested, but taken to a hospital and enrolled in a recovery program. Earlier this year, Campanello was honored as a Champion of Change at the White House.

Photo courtesy of PAARI