Elizabethtown Recovery Residence Enforcement Officer David Neary says prior to the March 15 enforcement date of the city’s new Recovery Residence Certification Ordinance he is reaching out to the owners and operators of the facilities to let them know what to expect.
“I’ll get to meet the people who own and operate recovery residences and let them know ‘I’m not out to get you, I’m just here to enforce what the law says,’” Neary said.
In his new position, Neary will be tasked with checking in on the more than 150 recovery residences in Elizabethtown to ensure they are in compliance with the law, which the city drafted to match state regulations. Neary said these facilities have not been regulated before, and the new law ensures people entrusting their recovery to these facilities are not being taken advantage of.
“One of the things they taught me at Treatment Court is drug addiction is a lifetime treatment,” Neary said. “You never fully recover. It’s something you’re going to have to spend the rest of your life on, and we just want to make sure that people out there saying they’re trying to help these people are truly helping.”
Neary comes to the position after an extensive career in law enforcement, and those skills are likely to come in handy.
“I’m fully sworn, that way if I should uncover something when I’m inspecting I can act upon it,” Neary said. “I have all of the authority of any police officer in the city of Elizabethtown to do that.”
The full text of the ordinance can be found on the city’s website.
