The Evidence-to-Impact Podcast · The Social Science Research Institute

Episode 25 Part 2: Bridging the Gap: Community Policing's Role in Recovery and Crime Reduction

·15 min·1 clip
Alexandra Dzigirska explains how people thought police offering treatment was a trick, requiring door-to-door outreach to build trust and save lives.
This episode examines the Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI), a police-led program that diverts people with substance use disorders to treatment instead of jail. Experts discuss how the program overcame community distrust, trained officers with recovery specialists, used data to target outreach, and contributed to reduced overdose rates in Dane County.

As heard by us

A grounded look at community policing, recovery, and overdose response.

Part two of Bridging the Gap stays with the practical side of community policing: training, recovery stories, and the work of moving officers from burnout and futility toward a steadier sense that recovery can happen.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a calm, specific look at how recovery training can shift police motivation, this one keeps the focus on practice.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on