PAARI Announces Nation's First Essential Deflection and Diversion Certification Program

BOSTON, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is pleased to announce the nation's first Deflection Certification Program for public safety departments.

"Our partners consistently tell us that they want to guide people toward treatment and recovery instead of incarceration, but they need the formal training and techniques to do so effectively," says Zoe Grover, Executive Director of PAARI. "We are bridging that gap by providing the knowledge, confidence, and skills necessary to sustain these programs and help our neighbors in crisis."

The new Certification features three-courses designed for police chiefs, command staff, and officers:

• Addiction 101 for First Responders
• The Trauma-Addiction Connection for First Responders
• Deflection and Diversion Foundations for First Responders

"Looking back to 2016, when I launched Kentucky's first Angel Program at the Jeffersontown Police, I know firsthand the challenges of building a deflection pathway from the ground up without a formal playbook" said Brittney Garrett, PAARI's Senior Director of Public Safety, and co-author of the new training. "The PAARI's Deflection Certification program is exactly the resource I wish I had ten years ago. By providing actionable, expert-led guidance, we are finally giving command staff and officers the tactical confidence they need to turn the desire to help their communities into a sustainable, life-saving reality."

The courses may be taken individually for certificates or together for the Essentials in Deflection and Diversion Certification. The courses are self-paced and online, designed to be flexible to the needs of departments at any size.

"We've built a program based on the needs of our partners, following instructional design best practices," said Elizabeth Leingang, PAARI Project Manager and course designer. "We worked very intentionally to structure learners' educational experiences to maximize retention and engagement throughout the training. Ultimately, our mission is to have the lessons learned in the classroom translate to lives saved in the field."

For more information about PAARI's training programs or how to enroll, please visit paariusa.org.

ABOUT PAARI: PAARI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help first responders create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. PAARI has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, strategic guidance, training resources, and other capacity-building resources to more than 800 police departments in 46 states. Learn more at paariusa.org.

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SOURCE Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI)