News Photo by Julie Riddle Trooper Ashley Simpson stands behind the counter in the lobby of the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post on Tuesday. People wishing to take part in the State Police’s Angel Program for addiction can ask for help at the post.

ALPENA — When addiction has taken away home, there’s still somewhere to turn, said Trooper Ashley Simpson, of the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post.

The Angel Program, which just marked three years of operation by the Michigan State Police, connects people with addictions of any kind to residential treatment.

Sixteen people have walked through the Alpena Post doors to say they were ready to make their lives better since the Angel Program was introduced in 2017, officials said.

The program is intended for people who are in the middle of their addiction, unable to break away from drugs or alcohol on their own, Simpson said.

Once officers have collected basic information, an intake official gets those accepted into the program into residential treatment the same day.

People ready to fight their addiction may not know who to call or what to do to get into treatment or have the willpower to jump through the hoops to admit themselves, Simpson said.

The Angel Program removes those hurdles, Simpson said.

Most of the people who come to the post seeking the Angel Program are driven there by desperation, forced to change because of the impending loss of home, job, or family.

Opening those police station doors takes enormous courage, said Simpson.

She’s gone through the intake process with people who were sick to their stomach with fear. Others have gotten drunk before coming in to give themselves the needed boost of courage to say they needed help.

“Addiction is a scary thing,” Simpson said. “If they are to the point that they no longer know where to go, that’s that the Angel Program is for.”

COVID-19 restrictions have only hurt people with addictions, adding stress that can increase the risk of substance abuse. That, in turn, leads to more problems and more stress, Simpson believes.

The Angel Program is an avenue out of that cycle, Simpson said.

Of the State Police posts in northern Michigan, the Alpena Post has seen the most use of the Angel Program, according to Derrick Carroll, Michigan State Police District 7 spokesman.

Still, 16 participants in three years surprised Carroll, who expected the number to be higher.

Addiction is a known problem in Michigan, including the Alpena area, Carroll said. He hoped more people would hear of the program and take advantage of it.

While the Angel Program is a free and powerful service, the fact that it’s run by police — the very officers who may have arrested potential participants for drunk driving or other charges — may be enough to scare people away.

Police can’t, and won’t, force anyone into the program, Carroll said. The person needing help has to have the courage — and, perhaps, the desperation — to walk into the very police station they may fear to ask for it.

He knows that’s hard.

But, he said, if police can help somebody instead of arresting them, they’re all for it.

“These people are at the bottom of their lives, and they really need help,” Carroll said. “It really is rewarding for us as a police agency to be able to take these people in and say, ‘We’re going to get you help. We’re going to make sure you get the help that you need.'”

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Get help

To seek immediate residential treatment through the Angel Program, visit the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or call 517-284-3208.