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S. HRG. 113–687 

COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TO BREAKING THE 

CYCLE OF HEROIN AND OPIOID ADDICTION 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014 

RUTLAND, VERMONT 

Serial No. J–113–53 

Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary 

( 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont, Chairman 

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California 

CHUCK SCHUMER, New York 

DICK DURBIN, Illinois 

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island 

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota 

AL FRANKEN, Minnesota 

CHRISTOPHER A. COONS, Delaware 

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut 

MAZIE HIRONO, Hawaii 

CHUCK GRASSLEY, Iowa, Ranking Member 

ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah 

JEFF SESSIONS, Alabama 

LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina 

JOHN CORNYN, Texas 

MICHAEL S. LEE, Utah 

TED CRUZ, Texas 

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona 

KRISTINE LUCIUS, Majority Staff Director 

KOLAN DAVIS, Republican Chief Staff Director 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

STATEMENTS OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS 

Page 

Leahy, Senator Patrick J., a U.S. Senatory from the State of Vermont ............. 1 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 35 

WITNESSES 

Coffin, Hon. Tristram, U.S. Attorney, District of Vermont, Department of 

Justice, Burlington, Vermont .............................................................................. 5 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 38 

James W. Baker, Chief, Rutland City Police Department, Rutland, Vermont ... 8 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 42 

Harry L. Chen, M.D., Commissioner of Health, Burlington, Vermont ............... 12 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 46 

Mary Alice McKenzie, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater 

Burlington, Burlington, Vermont ........................................................................ 16 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 52 

Colonel Thomas L’Esperance, Director, Vermont State Police, Waterbury, 

Vermont ................................................................................................................ 21 

prepared statement .......................................................................................... 57 

QUESTIONS 

Questions submitted by Senator Chuck Grassley for James W. Baker .............. 61 

Questions submitted by Senator Chuck Grassley for Dr. Harry Chen ............... 62 

Questions submitted by Senator Chuck Grassley for Mary Alice McKenzie ...... 63 

Questions submitted by Senator Chuck Grassley for Col. Thomas 

L’Esperance .......................................................................................................... 64 

ANSWERS 

Responses of James W. Baker to Questions Submitted by Senator Grassley .... 65 

Responses of Dr. Harry Chen to Questions Submitted by Senator Grassley ..... 67 

Responses of Mary Alice Mckenzie to Questions Submitted by Senator Grassley .......................................................................................................................... 73 

Responses of Col. Thomas L’Esperance to Questions Submitted by Senator 

Grassley ................................................................................................................ 74 

SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD 

Robin Rieske, Brattleboro, Vermont, letter ........................................................... 75 

Nancy Corsones, Vermont, letter ........................................................................... 77 

Nick Santoro, Rutland, Vermont, letter ................................................................. 78 

Douglas S. Johnston, Springfield, Vermont, letter ............................................... 80 

Gina Fucci, Vermont, letter .................................................................................... 81 

Sheriff Roger M. Marcoux, Hyde Park, Vermont, statement ............................... 82 

Bobby Maynard, Vermont, letter ............................................................................ 86 

Joseph Krause, Vermont, testimony ...................................................................... 87 

Madison Akin, Clarendon, Vermont, letter ........................................................... 90 

Dr. Rick Barnett, Stowe, Vermont, letter .............................................................. 94 

Dustin A. Degree, St. Albans, Vermont, letter ...................................................... 97 

Dr. Alis Headlam, Ed.D., Vermont, letter ............................................................. 99 

Monica Rugg, Wallingford, Vermont, letter ........................................................... 100 

Chelsea Clark, Fairfax, Vermont, letter ................................................................ 101 

Gov. Peter Shumlin, Rutland, Vermont, written testimony ................................. 102 
Page

IV 

Terri Mayer Thomsen, letter .................................................................................. 104 

Rebecca Tiger, Middlebury, Vermont, letter ......................................................... 105 

Kathleen Krevetski, Vermont Farmers Food Center, Rutland, Vermont, letter 106 

Anonymous, Rutland, Vermont, letter ................................................................... 107 

Jessica Doos, Vermont, letter ................................................................................. 108 

Robert F. Forman, Ph.D., Waltham, Massachusetts, statement ......................... 109 

Project Lazarus Model, Wilkes County, synopsis .................................................. 116 

Heather Bryant, Vermont, letter ............................................................................ 121 

Steve Handley, Waitsfield, Vermont, letter ........................................................... 123 

Julianne Holland, MA, LADC, Vermont, letter ..................................................... 124 

Lynne Klamm, Rutland, Vermont, letter ............................................................... 125 

Julian Partridge, Vermont, letter ........................................................................... 127 

Vermont Recovery Network, White River Junction, Vermont, statement .......... 128 

Larry Bayle, Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County, Vermont, letter ................. 134 

Christopher J. Brickell, Brandon Police Department, Brandon, Vermont, letter .......................................................................................................................... 135 

James M. Candon, Jr., Jericho, Vermont, letter ................................................... 137 

BB Donnis, 5-Town Drug and Safety Alliance, Addison County, Vermont, 

letter ...................................................................................................................... 142 

Geoff Kane, MD, Brattleboro, Vermont, letter ...................................................... 147 

Regina M. Kohlhepp, MS, BS, RN–BC, Rutland, Vermont, letter ...................... 149 

Patricia M. Lancaster, Mendon, Vermont, letter .................................................. 152 

Michael S. Leake, BS Pharm, R.Ph., Bennington, Vermont, letter ..................... 159 

Mary Martin, Cornwall, Vermont, letter ............................................................... 162 

Kathy and Patrick Martin, Co-Founders, Wits End, Rutland, Vermont, letter . 163 

Michael F. Moran, Rutland, Vermont, letter ......................................................... 165 

Kristi C. Morris, Springfield, Vermont, letter ....................................................... 166 

Donna Quesnell, Vermont, letter ............................................................................ 171 

Alberta Randall, Vermont, letter ............................................................................ 173 

Mike Reiderer, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes, 

Vergennes, Vermont, letter ................................................................................. 174 

Maria Roosevelt, Vermont, letter ........................................................................... 178 

Bonnie Scott, Vermont, letter ................................................................................. 180 

Vito Moro, Rutland, Vermont, letter ...................................................................... 181 

Opioid Addiction Op Ed, Dr. Harry Chen, MD, Commissioner of Health, 

statement .............................................................................................................. 182 
(1) 

COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TO BREAKING THE 

CYCLE OF HEROIN AND OPIOID ADDICTION 

MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 1:07 p.m., in the 

Franklin Conference Center at the Howe Center, 1 Scale Avenue, 

Rutland, Vermont, Hon. Patrick J. Leahy, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

Present: Senator Leahy. 

Also present: Representative Welch. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. PATRICK J. LEAHY, A U.S. 

SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF VERMONT 

Chairman LEAHY. If we can all come to order. I want to thank 

everybody for being here, including Congressman Welch, because 

this is a bicameral matter. I must point out that Congressman 

Welch has a much brighter green tie on than I do. 

First off, I will wish all of you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and 

thank you for coming out for this. 

We are having this hearing—and I know so many of you in this 

room and I have worked with so many of you here in Rutland— 

to talk about opioid addiction and heroin and how communities 

such as Rutland can successfully come together to solve this complex problem. 

It is a complex challenge. It goes into neighborhoods, it goes into 

communities of all kinds and sizes, in urban and rural areas alike 

throughout the country. And Vermont has not been spared. We 

have seen that the demand for treatment between the year 2012 

for addiction in Vermont rose by more than 770 percent, and Dr. 

Chen can speak about this in greater detail. But that is consistent 

with what we are seeing with opioids around the country, including 

heroin. We also hear the stories of the young people whose lives 

have either been ruined or ended because of this. 

Now, Vermont is way ahead of the country in many ways. We 

have openly identified the problem. We are trying to find ways to 

not just help addicts get clean, but to stop this. We have heard 

many times, but it bears repeating, and I would say this as somebody who spent eight years as a State’s attorney: You cannot arrest 

your way out of this problem. It is not just a law enforcement problem even though we have among the finest law enforcement people 

in the country. You cannot just put it on the backs of law enforcement. You have to have prevention, education, and treatment to go 

along with law enforcement. 
2 

We have many eyes now on Vermont. Governor Shumlin has spoken forcefully about the heroin crisis. It is significant that he did 

something no other Governor in the country would do. He dedicated his State of the State message to this problem this year. 

The Chief Justice of Vermont, Paul Reiber, has added his voice. 

He noted, ‘‘This challenge is complex and cannot only be met with 

the blunt tool of criminalization.’’ 

This addiction is an issue of great importance to me, both as a 

lifelong Vermonter but also as someone who cares deeply about 

making sure we have a legal, lasting solution. And I want to applaud Rutland. Rutland has been in the forefront of seeking solutions and working hard to do it. This city is one I have known from 

my childhood days on, and it is a city that deserves enormous admiration for what it does. But we have to get ahead of addiction. 

We cannot let it corrode our lives and our communities. 

Now, I look at problems in our criminal justice system at the federal level. What I see is that when we look for creative solutions, 

many times the solutions we find at the federal level are actually 

being done at the local level. And if we look at what has been tried 

in a community like this, it sometimes sets the model for what we 

should do nationally. If it works in the State system, we ought to 

adopt it at the federal system. And Vermonters do not shy from a 

challenge, and they do not hesitate to tell you what is on their 

mind. And so we have got some innovative programs. 

Chief Baker is working collaboratively with Mayor Louras and 

residents—and I saw the mayor at lunch right around the corner— 

and community developers, housing advocates, and prevention specialists. A community response known as Project VISION shows 

how people can join together to combat drugs. The Project VISION’S Chairman, Joe Kraus, summed it up this way: ‘‘We have 

two choices here. We can curse the darkness, or we can light a candle, to quote an old saying.’’ 

Well, Rutland is just one example of how communities around 

Vermont are working together to confront this crisis. It is not 

unique just to the large cities. As Sheriff Roger Marcoux notes in 

his written testimony, which will be part of the record, roughly half 

of Vermont’s overdoses since 2011 have occurred in rural settings. 

[The prepared statement of Sheriff Marcoux appears as a submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. I live on a dirt road in Vermont in a town of 

1,500 people. My nearest neighbor is a half a mile away. I do not 

think that we face any less of a problem there than you do in our 

largest cities. 

We have to be in it together. This is the fourth time I have 

brought the Judiciary Committee here to Vermont, and we have 

talked about the three-tiered approach: prevention, treatment, and 

enforcement. But Vermont has shown that more success is possible 

when prevention and treatment and law enforcement are not each 

one in a little section by themselves. And I know from my own 

years in law enforcement as State’s attorney in Chittenden County 

how important these efforts are. 

I have never seen in my lifetime in this State a law enforcement 

community more fully committed to prevention and treatment efforts as we have right now. And I think we Vermonters ought to 
3 

be proud of that because law enforcement would rather not arrest 

and prosecute the same offenders over and over again when what 

you have is a treatable addiction. And treating the addiction can 

be the better and less costly approach. It also results in a lot fewer 

cases lying on detectives’ and prosecutors’ desks. 

One of the programs I am working on in Washington is the Second Chance Act. We have introduced it for reauthorization. It is 

going to be coming before the Senate Judiciary Committee very 

soon. It supports initiatives like the Vermont Court Diversion Program so that people with minor charges can keep their records 

clean if they successfully complete a program. Otherwise, how are 

these people ever going to be hired? How are they ever going to get 

a job? 

We have seen innovative diversion models that have emerged in 

response to community needs. We saw in Windsor County the 

Sparrow Project, Rapid Intervention efforts in Chittenden County. 

Those are just a few examples. But we also have witnesses who are 

going to talk about how we break the cycle of addiction in our communities. Vermont’s superb U.S. Attorney, Tris Coffin, has taken 

his message of prevention into Vermont’s schools, and, Tris, I know 

you have also gone with the father of a University of Vermont student, who died of a heroin overdose. And I get letters and I get 

calls from people when you have both been there to talk to them, 

so thank you for doing that. 

Chief Baker is facilitating a community-based response. He boils 

it down to a very simple Vermont message: ‘‘Not on our streets, not 

in our town.’’ That sort of says it all, Chief. 

Chief BAKER. Thank you, Senator. 

Chairman LEAHY. Dr. Chen, with his years of experience as an 

emergency room physician, is now working with the Governor to 

take the prevention message to our communities and to our 

schools. 

Mary Alice McKenzie, whom I have known all her life, and her 

parents before that, is working through the Boys & Girls Clubs to 

respond to the needs of our kids. And I think you have found these 

kids want a positive and healthy and supportive alternative to addiction. 

And the Vermont State Police under the direction of Colonel 

L’Esperance, in partnership with the Vermont Department of 

Health, are using a promising drug, naloxone, which can immediately reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. The colonel met 

with me in my office in Montpelier here a few weeks ago to show 

me that. 

So I really want to hear from all of you, but before I do, I am 

going to turn to Congressman Welch. One of the lucky things in 

Vermont, we all know each other and we can work together. Peter 

Welch had a distinguished career in the State legislature before he 

went to the House. He is well respected on both sides of the aisle, 

and I think it is safe to say we both found the same thing, that 

this is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. It is a human issue. 

And for us in this room, it is a Vermont issue. Peter. 
4 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. PETER WELCH, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF VERMONT 

Representative WELCH. Patrick, thank you. 

I want to thank Patrick, because I know everybody else does, for 

bringing the Judiciary Committee here. And with your eight 

years—was it eight years that you were the Chittenden County 

State’s attorney? 

Chairman LEAHY. Yes. 

Representative WELCH. Oftentimes you speak about that as a job 

above all others where you were dealing with real people and real 

lives, and that experience, obviously, is what a lot of our panelists 

share and a lot of Vermonters here share. And now you happen to 

be the most senior member of the U.S. Senate and in a position to 

really help us help the people who are trying to help Rutland. So 

we are all very grateful to you, Patrick, for convening this hearing 

here today. I just want to give him a round of applause. 

[Applause.] 

Representative WELCH. And I cannot add to what Patrick said, 

but, you know, as a Vermonter—we are all Vermonters, and the 

kind of thing that binds us together is we have this almost indiscriminate pride about our sense of place and sense of community, 

that it is small, that we care about our neighbors. And there was 

a lot of alarm, to some extent, when the Governor spoke in his 

whole address about this challenge. And some folks were a bit 

nervous that we were giving publicity to a ‘‘bad problem.’’ 

But you know what? What we know is that when communities 

face their problems, it is the first step in solving their problems. 

And it was interesting to me in Congress, I had colleagues from all 

over the country who saw the publicity, and they came up to me, 

and they said, ‘‘Peter, how do you guys get the nerve to do this? 

Because this is a problem we are facing, but we are not dealing 

with it.’’ 

And if we are going to maintain what it is we find so important 

to each of us, a sense of community, it means we have got to step 

up and not look to the courts as the sole solution or to our law enforcement as the sole solution, but where we acknowledge every 

one of us really has a role to play. 

One of the things that has been so great for me in watching this 

is that it has given parents some space to come out of the shadows 

and talk to their other parents about, ‘‘Is this a problem for you?’’ 

And they can get the support they need to try to cope. 

So, Patrick, this hearing, I think all of us are really grateful to 

you, and I want to echo your remarks, too, that the real heroes 

here are the moms and the dads and the citizens of Rutland and 

of the State of Vermont who are stepping up to work together to 

try to do everything we can to mitigate and minimize this issue. 

Thank you. 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you very much. 

[Applause.] 

Chairman LEAHY. I cannot applaud Rutland enough, because we 

had a similar hearing a few years ago when Senator Arlen Specter 

and I were here, and that shaped a number of federal programs for 

the better because of what we heard from you. 
5 

Our first witness is Tristram Coffin, the U.S. Attorney for the 

District of Vermont. He grew up in South Burlington, graduated 

from Columbia Law School, clerked for Federal District Court 

Judge Albert Coffrin. In the early 1990s, he helped make the Senate Judiciary Committee better by serving on that staff in Washington. 

He came back here, was for 12 years Assistant U.S. Attorney, 

went back into private practice after specializing in international 

drug-smuggling cases, and worked with the Canadian law enforcement. But the President asked him to step out of private practice, 

and he became the 36th U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont 

in 2009. 

Before we begin, Tris, I want to applaud you for the fact that I 

hear from State police, local police, county police in the State how 

much you and your office have worked with them. 

STATEMENT OF HON. TRISTRAM COFFIN, U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT OF VERMONT, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, BURLINGTON, VERMONT 

Mr. COFFIN. Thank you, Senator. Thank you very much. It is 

such an honor to be here today with our partners in all these activities, and I want to thank you, Senator, for bringing the Senate 

Judiciary Committee to Vermont and for inviting me to share with 

you my views about the need for a broader community reaction to 

heroin and other opiate trafficking, use, and addiction. I and the 

Department of Justice appreciate your leadership on these issues 

for so many years and your dedication to improving the lives of 

Vermonters. 

First let me say that Rutland is a terrific small city. It has a 

strong and proud community and a great tradition. But it is a community like many others throughout New England and the United 

States that is going through a difficult time right now. 

Many communities are having to face up to the many significant 

challenges that are presented by opioid trafficking and addiction. 

Rutland is addressing these problems in a forthright, aggressive, 

and creative fashion. I commend Chief Baker and the rest of the 

Rutland community for doing that. 

The heroin, opiate, and opioid problem in Vermont is not new. 

It has been building for some time. Under your leadership, Senator 

Leahy, this Judiciary Committee has held three field hearings in 

Vermont on the issue of drugs in recent years, including opiates. 

As the problem of opioid addiction began to emerge, you invited Attorney General Holder here for the Opiate Prescription Medication 

and Heroin Summit we held in Montpelier in September 2010. You 

stated back then that the problem that was existing of rampant addiction to opioid prescription medications would soon lead to substantial heroin trafficking and addiction in Vermont, and, unfortunately, that indeed has happened. 

On March 10, 2014, Attorney General Holder in a public video 

message called the rise in overdose deaths from heroin and other 

prescription painkillers ‘‘an urgent public health crisis.’’ I could not 

agree more. 

The numbers and statistics are stark. Between 2006 and 2010, 

heroin overdose deaths decreased nationally by 45 percent. Heroin 
6 

treatment numbers in Vermont are up over 250 percent since 2000 

and over 40 percent in the past year. Our office’s prosecution of 

heroin traffickers is up, with indictments more than doubling last 

year and totaling more than four times what they were just a few 

years ago. 

But to me, one of the starkest statistics is the increase in fatal 

heroin overdoses we have here in Vermont. Last year’s total—a 

record 21—was more than twice the number of the year before, 

which was also a record. And that is five times the number of what 

we had just a few years ago. 

These are obviously extremely concerning numbers. I want to 

echo the Attorney General and urge first responders to carry the 

drug known as naloxone. When administered quickly and effectively, naloxone immediately restores breathing to a victim in the 

throes of a heroin or opioid overdose. I applaud the Vermont State 

Police and the Vermont Department of Health for moving forward 

on this issue. 

When you deal with the families of overdose victims, I can tell 

you that every one of these numbers has a face and a name and 

loved ones left behind in pain that does not go away. 

The Justice Department, along with our partners in the Vermont 

State Police and Rutland Police Department, has been aggressive 

about prosecuting traffickers who seek to profit out of selling this 

misery, and we will continue to do so. But what this hearing is 

about is how important it is for the community to respond as a 

whole to this problem. We will remain active and vigilant on the 

law enforcement side, but it is not enough. This problem requires 

a broad community response, and I am thrilled that under the 

leadership of Chief Baker and others, Rutland is engaged in making this response, and similar broad community responses to this 

problem are happening throughout other parts of Vermont as well. 

Attorney General Holder has been very clear with me and my fellow U.S. Attorneys that we need to be smarter on crime, not just 

tougher. We are not giving the community what it deserves if we 

offer up only an expensive solution—unlimited incarceration—if it 

does not address the root causes of the problem. 

When we look at the problem of heroin and opioid use, law enforcement alone is not sufficient to address the problem. Community responses emphasizing prevention and treatment are essential 

complements to work in conjunction with law enforcement to make 

the community a safer and more drug-free place. 

Over the last three years, I have been fortunate to be involved 

in one such prevention program. On March 23, 2009, Skip Gates 

lost his treasured son, Will, to a heroin overdose. Will was an outstanding young man. He was in his third year at the University 

of Vermont studying molecular genetics, a standout Alpine ski 

racer, an incredible young man. We met Skip through the investigation of the heroin trafficker who sold Will the heroin that led 

to his death. Skip was searching for some way to turn this tragedy 

into something positive. Working with our office’s outstanding 

crime victim advocate, Aimee Stearns, who I think is here today, 

and a great young filmmaker named Derek Hallquist, who is here, 

Skip, who is also present, had the courage to share his personal experience of this tragedy in the short film ‘‘The Opiate Effect.’’ We 
7 

have sent the film to all the high schools in Vermont for free two 

years running. Also with the help from our office, Jim Lean, our 

law enforcement coordinator, we have spent the last three years 

traveling throughout Vermont playing the movie and talking to 

high school kids and their parents about the dangers of opioid use. 

Skip is an eloquent speaker, and the film is powerful. I think a lot 

of the power of the movie comes from its informational approach. 

Young people see firsthand the impact heroin has had on Skip and 

on his family. They hear from recovering addicts straight talk 

about what life as a heroin addict is like. The film does not really 

try to moralize; rather, it lays out the real facts on what life as an 

opioid addict is like so people can make clear choices. In this way, 

the film moves the conversation beyond ‘‘Just Say No.’’ 

The importance of this, of course, is to try to stop people from 

entering the opioid addiction and criminal justice pipeline, because 

once that happens, there are no good outcomes, only varying degrees of bad ones. 

That is why the prospect of effective drug prevention is so important. We do a lot of work to reduce the supply of drugs coming into 

this State on the law enforcement side. But if we do not equally 

be as aggressive on reducing the demand side, our efforts will be 

of little avail. 

We need better and more drug treatment to get people who are 

addicted to these substances off of them, and we need better and 

more comprehensive prevention approaches to reduce the number 

of people who fall into this trap. Law enforcement is not the only 

answer. We need these other efforts as well. 

And to be successful, these prevention and treatment efforts 

must come from broad segments of the community, like those occurring here in Rutland and also in Burlington and many other 

communities in Vermont. We have to have realistic discussions of 

the issues communities face from opiate and other substance abuse 

and look to the ingenuity and creativity in these communities for 

newer and broader solutions. 

And when we have these discussions, we need to understand that 

comprehensive approaches rather than piecemeal or solely law enforcement-oriented approaches are necessary to solve the problem, 

comprehensive solutions rooted in the particular community that 

make sense for their community and tailored to each community’s 

unique situation and characteristics, solutions that draw upon the 

perspectives, skills, and insights of a variety of stakeholders, not 

just the police. 

The other witnesses today, I know, will have much to add on this 

score, so I will close my remarks. But let me do so by thanking you, 

Senator Leahy, for coming here today and permitting me to speak 

on behalf of the Justice Department. And, moreover, thank you for 

your substantial dedication to this issue and your caring leadership 

on it for many years. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Coffin appears as a submission 

for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Thank you very much, and you and Skip 

should know that that film, which is powerful, is part of the permanent records of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a lot of people 

have seen it. 
8 

Our next witness is Chief James Baker. Chief Baker served as 

head of the Vermont State Police for over 30 years before he retired 

in 2009. In 2012, he returned to public service and serves as Chief 

of the Rutland City Police. He has been recognized by everybody 

from the New England Narcotics Enforcement Association, 

Vermont Chiefs of Police Association, Vermont Sheriffs Association, 

Vermont Governor’s Highway Safety Office, and the United States 

Attorney’s Office. He is a graduate of Southern Vermont College, 

the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia, and he is leading 

Rutland’s community-based effort. 

So, Chief, please go ahead. 

STATEMENT OF JAMES W. BAKER, CHIEF, RUTLAND CITY 

POLICE DEPARTMENT, RUTLAND, VERMONT 

Chief BAKER. Thank you, Senator. 

AUDIENCE MEMBER. Could you stand up, please? 

Chairman LEAHY. That is okay. I think with the microphones it 

is best he be right there. Just bring the microphone close. 

Chief BAKER. Thank you. Senator, Representative Welch, on behalf of Mayor Louras, Mr. David Allaire, the president of the Board 

of Aldermen, elected officials of the city of Rutland, members of the 

Police Commission, the citizens of Rutland, and the men and 

women of the Rutland City Police Department, I welcome you to 

this great city. 

We are proud of this great city, and we are honored you have 

taken the time to conduct a field hearing to hear about the good 

work being done here and the challenges of substance abuse and, 

in particular, opiate abuse. 

I want to echo the comments of U.S. Attorney Tris Coffin. The 

city of Rutland is a terrific community with a strong and proud history. This hearing is being held in a building that represents Rutland’s proud history. The building dates back to the 1800s when 

the Howe Scale Company was located here. After years of productive output, Howe Scale fell on hard times, and the company closed 

in the early 1980s, leaving this expansive manufacturing complex, 

with more than 330,000 square feet, vacant. What to do with this 

vast structure soon became the source of intense public debate and 

disagreement. 

The debate about the future of the Howe Center has been captured and memorialized. It serves as a reminder of the challenges 

Rutland has faced. It serves as a reminder of the grit of this city. 

Just as Rutland created a new vision for the Howe Center, we are 

committed to remaking Rutland into one of the healthiest and 

safest cities in the United States. In fact, the Vision Statement of 

Project VISION is: ‘‘Healthiest, safest, and happiest community in 

America!’’ We have the people, the infrastructure and the will to 

get it done. 

Not unlike other communities, the city of Rutland has faced the 

challenges of illegal drug activity before. In the early 1990s, as a 

young supervisor of a multi-agency drug task force, I worked out 

of Rutland and was involved in countless undercover drug operations that resulted in arrests, prosecutions, and convictions for 

drug distribution. The drugs of choice at the time were cocaine and 

marijuana. At that time, as a young investigator, I was convinced 
9 

that the resources and efforts we applied had solved the drug problem. Fourteen years later, I became the director of the Vermont 

State Police, and Rutland City Police Chief, Tony Bossi, sought 

help from the State Police with a new and emerging drug problem. 

The call for help was based on a fatal shooting on Grove Street 

during a drug deal and reports of violence involving firearms. The 

city had reached the tipping point on drug activity and violence. 

After a significant commitment of resources, a drug sweep rounded 

up more than 40 defendants in an operation known as Operation 

Marble Valley. The cases had strong out-of-State influences marked 

with a serious presence of gun culture and the drugs involved were 

cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin. At the press conference announcing the arrests, officials made the point that these arrests 

were meant to change the direction of the drug culture in Rutland. 

Around the same time under your leadership, Senator Leahy, the 

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a field hearing in this very 

room. There was testimony about the need for prevention, treatment, and enforcement. The community rallied for a period of time. 

In January 2012, I arrived as the interim Chief of Police to find 

yet another emerging drug culture and challenge. This time, the 

drug was heroin. I found a police department that was demoralized 

and a community that had no trust in its police department. This 

dispirited atmosphere stemmed from the fact that there was an unrealistic expectation that the police department could and should 

singlehandedly resolve the issues of illegal drugs in the community. 

As more pressure was applied to the police department to act, the 

more aggressive the law enforcement actions became. The measure 

of success was the number of arrests made and the amount of 

drugs seized. The trouble with those metrics was that history clearly showed that arrests alone were not going to change the environment because it does not take into account the underlying social 

issues relating to drugs. Not one of the underlying issues that are 

tied to addiction is under the control of the police, yet the solutions 

to the issue were laid at the doorstep of the police department. It 

became apparent that in order to effect change in our escalating 

drug crisis—a crisis from our experience that originates at its base 

from the initial addiction to prescription drugs—the situation was 

going to require all hands on deck. 

As we began the conversation with our non-law enforcement 

partners, we worked to gather a coalition of local, State, county, 

and federal enforcement partners in an effort to change the culture 

and the environment on the street by employing laser-focused enforcement operations. The effort resulted in Operation Fedup and 

was coordinated by ATF and other partners, both federal, State, 

and local. The very first operation resulted in seizing nearly 8,000 

bags of heroin and approximately $90,000 in cash. That investigation led to connections of drug distribution networks in New York 

City. The furtherance of the investigation under the guidance of 

U.S. Attorney Coffin, the DEA, and FBI revealed an organization 

that was responsible for bringing up to 10,000 bags of heroin into 

the Rutland area on a continual 10- to 14-day daily basis. It was 

hard to fathom the depth of the addiction in this area that would 

require that amount of heroin. We were all shocked. This was our 

first epiphany. We could no longer follow the methods deployed in 
10 

the past if we were going to move the ball down the field. The demand for opiates was outstripping our ability to be effective. 

The second epiphany came on September 26, 2012, at about 6 

p.m. on Cleveland Ave in the city of Rutland, Vermont. It was on 

that day that we lost one of our bright and upcoming stars. Carly 

Ferro, age 17, was leaving her place of work and entering into her 

father’s car to drive home when she was struck and killed. Carly 

was killed when a car operated by an individual who is alleged in 

court papers to have been huffing aerosols lost control of the car 

and struck her. The incident represented another critical point in 

Rutland’s history where the grit and determination of her people 

was defined. This tragedy became a rallying point—a painful realization that what was happening in our city had to stop. The 

human costs were too high. 

The non-traditional partners we had assembled became focused 

on creating metrics to measure where we were, and where we 

needed to go. We began meeting on a regular basis and began to 

follow a path and a model championed by Chief Mike Schirling of 

the Burlington Police Department known as Community Intervention Team. The vision was to join all resources together and create 

a multiplier force to affect the quality of life in Rutland. We 

brought to the table social services agencies, elected officials, police 

resources, the domestic violence advocacy community, drug court, 

corrections, prosecutors at the federal, State, and local level, economic development officials, housing coalition officials, the faith 

community, mediation services, neighborhood citizens, and many 

others. 

In the early stages, the group talked and worked on strategies 

to create metrics using data to measure what success looked like. 

We worked on supporting and advocating for a methadone clinic. 

We worked on systems to better communicate across traditional 

and non-traditional partners. The energy was amazing. 

The final epiphany came when Senator Leahy’s staff located a 

grant opportunity from the United States Department of Justice 

Bureau of Justice Assistance. Our coalition refocused and developed a grant application that created the name Project VISION, 

known as Viable Initiatives & Solutions through Involvement of 

Neighborhoods). The grant created a blueprint using outcome-based 

modeling that we are following to execute our strategy. 

We did not receive the grant. We think our good friends at BJA 

may have gotten this one wrong. But we did not give up. 

Chairman LEAHY. They did get it wrong. 

[Laughter.] 

Chief BAKER. The grit and determination of Rutland shined once 

again, and we moved forward. We continued to execute our strategy, and we now have an operating structure in place. We have 

stayed faithful to the concept of utilizing research to validate our 

processes. 

Project VISION serves as an umbrella group that coordinates the 

functions of three committees. Those committees are Crime and 

Safety; Substance Abuse, Prevention, and Treatment; and Neighborhoods and Housing. Each committee is working on unique goals 

to their individual committee with the understanding that they 
11 

stay faithful to Project VISION’s key values of collaboration for the 

greater good and renewed focus on the positive. 

As a result of the collaboration of resources, the Rutland City Police Department is now host to a variety of non-traditional partners 

who operate on the guiding principle that the issues we face associated with substance abuse, mental health issues, and quality of life 

in our neighborhoods are interconnected. That interconnection requires an integrated response. 

Today, housed in the Rutland City Police Department building, 

we have two social workers from the Rutland County Family and 

Children Center, a domestic violence advocate from the Rutland 

County Women’s Network and Shelter, an Assistant Attorney General, an emergency crisis intervention specialist from Rutland 

County Mental Health, a Rutland County early intervention coordinator from the Rutland County State’s Attorney’s Office, a school 

resource officer, an animal control officer, a crime analyst, and— 

on a part-time basis—a City of Rutland building inspector. These 

resources are coordinated by Captain Scott Tucker, the newly 

named executive director of Project VISION and the commander of 

the newly formed Community Outreach Division in the Rutland 

City Police Department. 

In the police department, we are embracing data and technology 

to identify where we apply these coordinated resources: never missing an opportunity to do a case review, create a system of better 

communications, and providing focused prosecution for those causing the most harm to our community. The effort coordinated daily 

is brought together on a bi-weekly basis when all committee members attend a mapping meeting. In the mapping meetings, we look 

at the locations and individuals that are doing the most harm to 

our community. Based on that data, we develop integrated solutions to address each of those individual situations. As an example, 

in many cases the underlying issues of substance abuse and/or 

mental health issues have led to family violence or neighborhood 

unrest. By having all the resources at the table, we can develop 

strategies and a response that include more than a police response. 

Unlike in the past, police suppression is not our first or our only 

choice. We are working at root-cause issues. 

It is important to note that we do still support and apply aggressive law enforcement to deal with those who choose not to meet our 

community norms and who do serious harm. As an example, the 

sources of heroin that make a conscious decision to come to Rutland to deal need to understand that their behavior is not going to 

be accepted or tolerated. That is why we work closely with the 

Vermont Drug Task Force and our federal partners to apply enforcement resources. We pay close attention to those who choose to 

do harm in the form of violence against women and children, not 

accepting that addiction is the cause. 

To demonstrate the determination of this great city, I would ask 

anyone in the room who is associated in any way with Project VISION to please raise your hands. 

Chairman LEAHY. That answers that question. 

[Applause.] 

Chairman LEAHY. I would note for the record, because this will 

be a part of the permanent record of the U.S. Senate, that at least 
12 

half the hands in the room went up. And then they were applauded. I think that tells the story right there. 

Go ahead, Chief. 

Chief BAKER. Senator, these are the faces of determination in our 

community. 

As I close, I want to thank all those partners who have worked 

to make our story worthy of telling in front of this Committee. 

There are too many to mention, but you know who you are. 

Senator, I want to thank you, Representative Welch, I want to 

thank you. Senator Leahy, thank you for your unwavering support 

of the city of Rutland. It is appreciated by all of us who are working tirelessly to get this right. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Chief Baker follows:] 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, thank you. 

[Applause.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Rutland is a city well worth helping. It is an 

integral and important part of Vermont, and we Vermonters treasure it. 

Dr. Harry Chen was appointed Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health by Governor Shumlin in January 2011. Before 

that, he spent 20 years as an emergency physician at Rutland Regional Medical Center and served as medical director from 1998 to 

2004. I mention that because Dr. Chen knows this area very well. 

He had previously been on the faculty at GW University Medical 

Center, and now also teaches at the University of Vermont College 

of Medicine. He was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. John Tracy in my office tells me how important it was to 

him that you were on the Health Care Committee and served as 

vice chair of that Committee. 

Dr. Chen, I could go on about you all afternoon, but I will let you 

speak for yourself. Please go ahead, sir. 

STATEMENT OF HARRY L. CHEN, M.D., COMMISSIONER OF 

HEALTH, BURLINGTON, VERMONT 

Dr. CHEN. Thank you, Senator Leahy, and my sincere thanks for 

holding this hearing to highlight this extremely important issue. 

Vermont brought the problem of addiction to heroin and other 

opioid drugs to national attention this year. You have heard about 

the stark numbers. More than 50 Vermonters die each year from 

opioid overdoses. Deaths from heroin have doubled between 2012 

and 2013, and nearly 4,000 Vermonters are in treatment for opioid 

addiction; over half of them, tragically, are young adults. And even 

more are waiting for treatment. 

Vermont’s experience has become the talk of the Nation, and, 

alas, for good reason. If it can happen here, in a mostly rural State 

made up of close-knit communities, blessed with natural beauty, 

where health care is nearly universal, with residents recognized as 

being among the healthiest of Americans, it can happen anywhere. 

From my viewpoint, addiction must be recognized as a public 

health problem and treated as a chronic illness. Addiction results 

from bad decisions. Those bad decisions quickly move to a disease. 

The end result is a chronic medical condition with profound implications for the individual and society. That is why Vermont is tak-
13 

ing a comprehensive public health approach to the problem of substance abuse and addiction that involves prevention, early identification and intervention, an array of treatment services, and recovery supports. 

It is now well accepted that we cannot simply arrest our way out 

of the problem. A bill passed just last week by the Vermont Senate 

acknowledges that by diverting non-violent drug offenders from the 

criminal justice system, instead referring them to treatment as 

soon as possible. 

And addiction is not someone else’s problem. It is our problem. 

As a longtime former resident and physician in the Rutland area, 

I, along with virtually everybody in this room, can point to good 

kids from good families whose lives were taken over by the horrors 

of opiate addiction. 

With the opening of the West Ridge Addiction Treatment & Recovery Center in November 2013, we marked a milestone in Rutland County and for our State. We now acknowledge that addiction 

is a chronic illness, like diabetes and heart disease, requiring a 

similar approach to prevention and treatment. We believe we are 

on the right path. Let me describe our path in a little more detail. 

The Vermont Department of Health has prevention consultants 

in our 12 district offices, including Rutland. Their role as local experts is to educate community members, help organize prevention 

efforts, and support coalitions with technical assistance to help implement proven prevention strategies. We are fortunate to have a 

series of prevention grants through SAMHSA. These grants have 

allowed us to fund community coalitions so they have the resources 

to implement local prevention programs. Rutland is one of our 

Partnership for Success communities. Through their grant, they 

are focused on underage drinking, binge drinking, and prescription 

drug misuse among youth. They work on underage drinking, 

partnering with local law enforcement. The grant also supports 

coalitions to promote information about proper storage and safe 

disposal of unused drugs, publicize safe drug drop-off locations and 

promote take-back events, encourage pharmacists to share specific 

cautions with patients when they pick up prescriptions for controlled substances, and encourage prescribers and dispensers to use 

the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System as part of their routine practice when they prescribe controlled substances. 

Last year, the Health Department also received a grant from 

SAMHSA to expand early alcohol and drug abuse screening, brief 

intervention, referral and treatment services for adults over the 

next five years. The goal is to make this a part of the regular 

health care practice. In Rutland, the free clinic is one of those provider sites. 

The Health Department administers both the SAMHSA block 

grant and Medicaid funds to support outpatient, intensive outpatient, residential, and medication-assisted treatment. We aim to 

ensure that everyone and anyone who needs treatment can access 

the right treatment as soon as possible. 

With the opening of West Ridge in November and BAART Behavioral Health Services in the Northeast Kingdom in January, the 

State is implementing the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction. The 

Care Alliance is a partnership of treatment centers and clinicians 
14 

around the State using a hub-and-spoke model to offer medicationassisted therapy to Vermonters in need. The treatment centers, or 

the hubs, will serve patients with complex needs. Hubs offer comprehensive assessment and specialty treatment with methadone or 

buprenorphine, providing treatment much closer to home for many. 

Connected with the hubs are the spokes—the Blueprint for 

Health practices and other primary care practices that treat patients using buprenorphine. Patient care at a hub or a spoke is supervised by a physician and supported by a network of communitybased services aimed at our goal: enabling patients to be successful 

in life, work, and as family members. This system of care gives a 

health home for people addicted to opiates. 

We also work closely with the criminal justice system to support 

both drug court programs and reentry services for people with addiction. To be effective, it is imperative that treatment services are 

tailored to people’s specific needs. Clearly a person in the criminal 

justice system will need a different treatment regimen than a 

young mother who has just delivered a baby. 

The Turning Point Recovery Centers are also supported with 

grants from the Health Department. We have 11 recovery centers 

around the State, including one in Rutland. The goal is to support 

all paths to recovery and to offer peer support to people who are 

trying to maintain recovery. The treatment centers work closely 

with the Turning Point Centers to ensure that clients make connections with peer support volunteers. 

So there are a couple questions I wanted to specifically address 

that were posed to me. One, what do communities need to do to get 

ahead of the problem? In Vermont, we look to the evidence. Research has shown that a comprehensive approach using principles 

of effective prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery, and enforcement is most effective. Single-strategy approaches may solve 

one part of the problem or another, but will not hold up over the 

long term. 

First, a community must make a comprehensive assessment to 

determine what their risk factors are. For example, before Rutland 

had acknowledged that they did not have an opioid treatment program, they had to acknowledge that and agree to create one. Getting to this point requires community education and discussion. 

Messages from key community leaders, like the mayor or the police 

chief, are key to raising community awareness. 

Next, organize a group of community stakeholders to lead planning efforts. This group can establish goals and measures so that 

residents understand how the community is progressing in addressing this problem. 

Finally, evaluate progress to ensure forward movement. As the 

saying goes, it truly does take a village of everyone working together to get ahead of the complex problem of opioid abuse. 

What about preventing relapse and recidivism? Research shows 

that a person needs to be connected to treatment and recovery support for at least 90 days to get a firm foundation in recovery. It is 

important to have various levels of care available so that treatment 

can be tailored to individual needs. Some need intensive outpatient 

treatment, some need detox and residential care, stabilization and 

transition to outpatient care. Medication-assisted therapy, such as 
15 

is provided through The Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction, is the 

evidence-based treatment indicated for opioid addiction. 

Recovery services are essential for making new connections with 

people who do not use drugs. Changing one’s environment is key 

to long-term recovery. This may mean getting sober housing, learning employment skills, whatever it takes to build a new life. 

The Agency of Human Services works hard to ensure that comprehensive wraparound services are available to meet a client’s 

needs. This is essential to preventing recidivism, and it is a priority 

of AHS. 

Two recent national reports underscore that all three branches of 

State government are committed to finding solutions. A report from 

the Trust for America’s Health commends Vermont’s use of all 10 

nationally recommended strategies to reduce prescription drug 

abuse and overdose. A National Safety Council report credits our 

State as one of only three to meet all of its standards on State leadership and action, prescription drug monitoring, responsible prescribing, and overdose education and prevention. 

As we work to address the demand side of the equation, we cannot underestimate the power of prevention. We see hope and 

progress in the 2013 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey results 

that shows use of tobacco, alcohol, and prescription drugs by 

Vermont youth declined since 2011—all priorities for our community-based prevention efforts. Investing early in the health of young 

people clearly yields the best return on investment. 

Thank you, Senator Leahy and Representative Welch, for listening to this testimony on this important issue. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Chen appears as a submission for 

the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, thank you. Thank you very much. 

I should note, incidentally, that all of the statements of the witnesses will be in the record in full. And I should also point out that 

we have other statements—Joseph Kraus from Project VISION and 

from other law enforcement officers, EMTs, judges, education providers, and community members. 

But I also want to note that we are doing this somewhat differently than we normally do. I find that sometimes the things that 

really get the most attention in the Senate are when somebody 

says, ‘‘Let me tell you a story,’’ and I get specific stories. So I am 

inviting anyone listening to submit testimony to 

opioidlhearing@judiciary-dem.senate.gov. Or you can go on the 

Committee’s Website, and up until this Friday we will take testimony or comments you might give. There are cards with that information in the back. 

I have found that as technically adroit as I am with computers, 

I am usually brought up short, if not by my kids, by my grandkids. 

When a five-year-old asks to go on a particular Website, I say, ‘‘I 

will call it up for you’’—you can hear me saying this, Chief, to get 

to the Website. My grandson takes the mouse out of my hand and 

says, ‘‘Let me take over because it gets very complicated.’’ 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY. So we have the information for submissions 

printed out on a card. I saw my staff going, ‘‘Don’t try to explain 

it. Just give them the card’’ because the email address is com-
16 

plicated. But the point is that—and I will be sharing these with 

Congressman Welch—do send in your stories of things that worked, 

but also of things that did not work, because it is helpful. 

Now, one thing that does work, I believe, is the Boys & Girls 

Clubs, and Mary Alice McKenzie is the executive director of the 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Burlington. She has worked with a 

formal task force aimed at cutting off gang activity, working with 

members of law enforcement, and the child welfare community. 

Marcelle and I have gone by—I have lost count of the number of 

times we have gone by the Boys & Girls Clubs in Burlington. We 

have seen her take young people who many times because of where 

they live or who their families are could have been at great risk, 

and work with them to help them stay clear of drugs, to stay clear 

of addiction. 

So, Mary Alice McKenzie, the floor is yours. 

STATEMENT OF MARY ALICE MCKENZIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER BURLINGTON, BURLINGTON, VERMONT 

Ms. MCKENZIE. Thank you so much, Senator. I cannot tell you 

how grateful I am that you are holding the hearing today, grateful 

to Congressman Welch for being here to support this, and incredibly grateful that you asked me to testify to what I hope is to give 

voice to the interest of children. And I think in the discussion we 

are having in the State we love so much, the interest of children 

has not yet become the centerpiece of the discussion in the way the 

Boys & Girls Clubs around the State believe it should be. And so 

I want to thank you for allowing me to hopefully give voice to the 

interest of children, and in that regard, I also want to acknowledge 

that my colleagues from other clubs are here to give their support. 

Larry Bayle is here from the Rutland Club, Mike Reiderer is here 

from the Vergennes Club, and Beth Baldwin Page is here from the 

Brattleboro Club. And I want to thank them for taking the 

time—— 

Chairman LEAHY. Would the three of them please raise their 

hands so we can see where they are? Oh, great. Thank you very 

much. 

Please go ahead. 

Ms. MCKENZIE. Now, as you know, because you have been so 

good to all of us at the Boys & Girls Clubs around the State, we 

are all different. We are smaller than others. Some are bigger, 

some are smaller. We may serve slightly different age groups. But 

we have a common mission, and our mission is to ‘‘inspire and enable youth in our communities, especially those who need us most, 

to realize their full potential as productive, healthy, caring, and responsible citizens.’’ And so although we may differ in our political 

views, the size of our communities, the way we deliver our services, 

we are in solidarity with each other on how to execute our mission, 

and we have all independently, quite frankly, concluded that because of what we are witnessing in our community around addiction, that we cannot not engage, because if we do not engage on 

pushing back on the trends that we see, we will violate our reason 

for being. So we have engaged in slightly different ways, but we 

have all engaged. 
17 

We agree with each other that the trends are really quite bad. 

The trends have gotten worse over the last decade. But we also believe that if we take coordinated and comprehensive community actions, we can make the difference. 

And so we are doing different things based on what our community needs. In Burlington, we started getting very concerned about 

what we were witnessing in our neighborhoods about three years 

ago. We started seeing evidence of trafficking in a way that we had 

not seen in my lifetime. I am a native. I have lived in Burlington 

my entire life. I have never seen anything, never thought I was 

going to see what I have been seeing in the neighborhoods. 

Most importantly, and of most concern, were the things that children were telling us. Now, at the Boys & Girls Club, we serve children from the ages of five through 19, so we truly are talking about 

children and youth. And we had children telling us that they were 

afraid to walk home at night, afraid to walk across the park, afraid 

to walk down North Street to their family apartment. 

They told us being followed, harassed, and assaulted by those 

under the influence of drugs, 13- and 14-year-old children telling 

us that they had been approached by people who were living in 

their neighborhood to carry backpacks or to serve as lookouts; 15- 

, 16-year-old girls told us of being offered money for sex by the 

same people who were selling drugs in their neighborhoods. 

We started having to make more and more reports to DCF about 

children who were being severely neglected because there was no 

food in the home, because there was no money left for food to feed 

these children. 

We learned very disturbingly of access being made to middleschool-aged girls in exchange for drugs. We heard about guns, and 

we heard about gang affiliations. 

Now, all of these things did not happen all at once. They were 

spread over a period of time, and we found ourselves making more 

and more reports. And then we looked around at ourselves, around 

the staff meeting table, and said, ‘‘We can make all the reports in 

the world, all of the mandated reports to the police, to DCF, to parents, and it is not enough.’’ Simply making reports and expecting 

somebody else to fix the problem is not going to fix the problem. 

And so we started to dig in and trying to find out what could we 

do, what did we have control over, what actions could we take to 

make it better in our community. We reached out to a number of 

people in positions of authority and people who had access to educational resources, because, after all, we are not the first community walking this path. Many communities have walked this path 

before. 

We contacted Boys & Girls Club of America. They sent their director of delinquency and gang prevention to Burlington for three 

days to take a look at the situation, to do training, to leave us with 

educational materials and some tools that we could implement to 

try to get at how bad was the problem, because, quite frankly, we 

were not sure how bad the problem we were dealing with was. This 

was an invaluable source of help for us. 

We were also made aware of a particular grant that could have 

helped us with some start-up funds. However, when we received 

the invitation to apply, we realized that we did not qualify because 
18 

the grant was written for a much larger urban area. And so that 

was a disappointment, but rather than say, okay, well, we cannot 

do anything because we are underfunded, we reached back out to 

somebody more local. We reached out to the United Way and, in 

particular, Martha Maksym, who has been an absolutely incredible 

support for us. And together with the United Way, we decided we 

are doing two things: We partnered with Tris Coffin and his group 

around the opiate effect panels to educate our community about the 

problem, and we also started looking for flexible funding, which, 

thankfully, we were able to find, and so we used the money to contract and collaborate with Spectrum—again, a knowledgeable 

source, Spectrum Youth Services, in the business of treatment—to 

work with us to say what are the best practices. How do we create 

a culture of health as opposed to a culture of addiction? They are 

right in our backyard, and Spectrum and the Boys & Girls Club 

have said, you know, Boys & Girls Club, if you do not do your job 

well, addicted youth are going to end up with Spectrum, so let us 

come together and use what we both know to improve the chances 

for at-risk kids. 

We also contacted the Burlington Police Department, and our incredible chief of police, Mike Schirling, was right there with training and educational services and resources for us. 

Most important, we started listening to our kids in a very different way. We all have a tendency to lecture kids. We all have a 

tendency to tell them what they should do. I think often we do not 

just ask them, ‘‘What do you think? And what do you need?’’ We 

surveyed and we are still surveying our kids on a very methodical 

basis. We have held focus groups and panels, individual conversations. I myself have talked to hundreds and hundreds of kids, and 

they have told us a lot. They have told us, ‘‘If you talk to me in 

high school about drugs, it is way too late. I smoked or my friends 

smoked their first joint when they were eight or they were nine or 

they were 10’’—pick a number. It is incredibly young. It is 

shockingly young. 

‘‘If you tell me, ‘Just say no to drugs,’ or if you tell me if I do 

drugs I am going to die, that is a joke to me, because I know people 

who bring drugs to school, they bring drugs to parties, they do 

drugs, and nobody I know has died yet. So do not just tell me if 

I do drugs I am going to die.’’ 

‘‘If you only tell me about drugs when I am in health class in 

high school, that is also a joke to me, because it is a check-off-thebox exercise.’’ 

‘‘If you think that I am serious, then treat me seriously,’’ is what 

they are saying. They are saying, ‘‘Tell me the facts. Tell me what 

drugs do to my brain. What do drugs do to my looks? What do 

drugs do to my prospects? Give me the facts. Take me seriously.’’ 

These messages are coming from all different kinds of kids—rich, 

poor, middle class, natives of Vermont, from places far away—but 

they are common messages. 

Now, there is a different set of messages and they are much 

more complex from the kids who are most at risk, who I believe 

and the rest of the clubs believe are in the minority. However, as 

we all know, the minority can affect the majority. These are children that we really do not talk much about because we do not 
19 

know how to deal with them in Vermont. We all see the news when 

people are arrested here for trafficking drugs. They come here from 

the Bronx, Brooklyn, from Chicago, wherever. And we are mad, we 

are outraged that they bring these substances here and prey on the 

vulnerable. But what we do not talk about is that these people and 

people like them have been coming in and out of Vermont for a 

very long time, and they have extensive networks here, and they 

have relationships here, and they have borne children here, and 

their children and the children who are born into the households 

who are highly addicted are the most at-risk children in our community. And we do not have many tools in our toolbox for intervening early and effectively. 

Unfortunately the only tool that we have had in our toolbox is 

to arrest and incarcerate when they reach a level of criminality 

that we can no longer ignore them. These are among the children 

who need us most, and we must confront this issue. And I do know 

that the issues are very complicated. They involve confidentiality 

rules and philosophies, prosecutorial, judicial, defense bar, legislative ideologies that are very uncomfortable to challenge. But we believe that we must address the needs of these children or they are 

going to be Vermont’s next-gen inmates—something none of us 

want. 

Thankfully the majority of our youth are not that complicated in 

figuring out how to help them. They have told us what they want. 

They want safe parks. They want safe streets. They want places to 

go on Saturday nights. They want more team sports. And they 

want clarity about the rules of health and safety. 

At the Boys & Girls Clubs, we are listening. We have done soul 

searching. We have taken some actions. In Burlington, we have 

looked at our park across the street from our main site. There is 

a small, rundown storage building. We asked the mayor of our city 

if we could take it over. He said, ‘‘Absolutely. Bring it on.’’ We 

found a private donor. We are taking the building over, renovating 

it, and turning it into an academic center. Not only will we be able 

to serve more kids more deeply, but we will improve the safety profile of the entire neighborhood. 

We have adopted the United Way language around drug abuse 

and prevention, and we have adopted their goal, which is that all 

children and youth are free from addiction and its consequences, 

and we walk the talk, which is incredibly hard because walking the 

talk means that youth who you are trying desperately to save, if 

they continue to participate in illegal and destructive behaviors, 

then they have to be removed from the Boys & Girls Club. This is 

very hard to do. But we have done it. We have done it after a lot 

of soul searching. As a result, more youth are coming to us because 

they believe that we are going to provide safety for them. 

We have increased our transportation capacity, so we are bringing kids home after dark if they need a ride. We have opened our 

club on Saturday nights. We have found more ways to get more 

kids in the club right after school, during the high-risk hours between three and six o’clock. We have increased all of our programming, including our academics and our team sports. We serve dinner six nights a week. It takes funding to be able to do this. We 

would not be able to do what we are doing without our board of 
20 

directors, who also sees the challenges of addiction in the community and has said we must do what we must do. And so we will 

find the funding. We must find this funding to be sustainable, and 

we are not there yet on all the efforts, but we are resolved to getting there. 

So some of these things are not rocket science. They are really 

boots-on-the-ground kind of actions. But we think that for our community, this is what is needed. 

Now, every club is doing the same or similar things. In Rutland, 

Larry Bayle is actively participating with Project VISION. 

Beth Baldwin Page is working with the local police in 

Brattleboro so that there is a coordinated response to any incident 

involving a child or youth. 

In Vergennes, Mike Reiderer has long been known as a leader in 

delivering prevention programs. 

There is also serious mentoring going on for other communities 

who want something like a club or a Boys & Girls Club. Larry 

Bayle is mentoring the communities of Randolph and Lyndonville 

right now because we all recognize that we individually and collectively have to do our part. 

I think the good work that has been done so far is obviously 

early stage and, quite frankly, I think it is the easy work that has 

been done. The hard task is ahead of us, and that is creating a unified front on all fronts: prevention, intervention, including treatment, and suppression. 

And I want to close by emphasizing one thing. I know that I have 

been talking about prevention measures and real boots-on-theground kind of strategies. But I have to say that coordinated and 

well-done law enforcement really, really matters. In Burlington, 

when the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the federal agencies, Burlington 

Police under the leadership of Mike Schirling, all started working 

together, we noticed. Our neighborhoods did get more safe, and we 

have to remember that. It cannot all be on their shoulders. We all 

have to do our work. But we have to allow them to do their work, 

too, because without them, we do not have a chance. 

So I want to thank you so very much for allowing me to testify. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. McKenzie appears as a submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, thank you very much. You and I have 

had the privilege of being—— 

[Applause.] 

Chairman LEAHY. You and I have had the privilege of going to 

some of the annual Boys & Girls Clubs breakfasts in Washington, 

DC, and I think, like me, you have been almost moved to tears, if 

not moved to tears, by some of the stories of young people who 

have turned their lives around with the help of the Boys & Girls 

Club and have now become such models in their community. 

I have told this story many times, and I will tell it very briefly 

here. A number of years ago, we were trying to get some grants 

from the Department of Justice and back to Vermont, and I called 

a police chief of a small police department and said, ‘‘I think I can 

get you a grant for a couple more officers.’’ He said, ‘‘Do you know 

what I would rather have?’’ And I said, ‘‘What?’’ And he said, ‘‘I 

would rather have a Boys & Girls Club.’’ He said, ‘‘I do not need 
21 

to arrest more kids. I need to have a place for more kids to go so 

they will not be arrested.’’ 

Really, that is what it is all about. 

Colonel L’Esperance is a 27-year veteran of law enforcement in 

Vermont. In 2009, he was named director of the Vermont State Police. He has specialized in narcotics investigations, criminal highway interdictions, and worked extensively with the Vermont Drug 

Task Force, including as commander of the Criminal Division at 

State Police Headquarters. I can go through all the many accomplishments. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from 

Champlain in Burlington. 

Colonel, you are somebody I have called dozens of times when I 

have had questions on programs that might or might not work, so 

please, sir, it is all yours. 

STATEMENT OF COLONEL THOMAS L’ESPERANCE, DIRECTOR, 

VERMONT STATE POLICE, WATERBURY, VERMONT 

Colonel L’ESPERANCE. Thank you very much, Senator. If I could 

repeat verbatim what Mary said about prevention and treatment— 

excuse me, prevention and education, I would do that. I think that 

was the most compelling testimony I have heard about that, and 

I think that is the core of where we need to go. 

Ms. MCKENZIE. Thank you. 

Colonel L’ESPERANCE. I would like to start by thanking Senator 

Leahy and Congressman Welch for the opportunity to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to address the many challenges that we are facing in Vermont related to heroin and opiate 

addiction. From a law enforcement perspective, the numbers are 

staggering. According to data provided by the Vermont Drug Task 

Force, in just the past two years alone, we have seen a 482-percent 

increase in the number of heroin investigations initiated by drug 

investigators and a 247-percent increase in the amount of heroin 

seized as a direct result of those investigations. 

Instead of focusing on the numbers, however, I would like to use 

my time here to focus on the solutions. Heroin and opiate addiction 

is a very real and complex issue that requires a dynamic response 

from all the stakeholders involved. For every statistic cited about 

heroin there is someone behind it who struggles every day to either 

stay clean or seek out their next fix. There are no easy answers, 

but we can and we will make progress as long as we are united 

and determined. From a statewide perspective, we must combine 

all our efforts and resources to reduce those abusing opiates 

through treatment, stop the flow of heroin into the State with 

strong enforcement, and prevent another Vermonter from heading 

down the road of addiction through education. 

I applaud Governor Shumlin for bringing this issue to the forefront in his recent State of the State address. As the director of the 

Vermont State Police, I will continue to strengthen our statewide 

enforcement efforts while building coalitions with our partners in 

treatment and prevention. Law enforcement must continue to disrupt supply lines that are responsible for bringing large quantities 

of heroin into Vermont and further work to prevent drug traffickers 

from getting a foothold in the State. I am pleased to say that I can 

report on a number of achievements we have made. 
22 

This past year the Vermont Drug Task Force conducted multiple 

high-level arrest sweeps across the State in Bennington, Springfield, and St. Albans. The primary goal of these operations was to 

dismantle heroin distribution rings operating within our communities and subsequently damaging our quality of life. I can say 

without hesitation that these operations were a success not only 

because we slowed the supply of heroin by arresting those responsible for distributing it, but because we were able to impact so 

many other lives in positive ways. 

One such story came to me through the form of an email from 

a mother whose adult daughter had been struggling with her addiction. Her daughter was eventually arrested in the drug sweep 

in Springfield. It was clear from her email that she felt she had 

lost her daughter to heroin until the day she was arrested. She 

said unequivocally that her daughter’s arrest ultimately saved her 

life. After the sweep, her daughter was able to break free from a 

bad relationship, get the necessary treatment she needed, and 

eventually reunite with her own young children. She expressed appreciation in her email to law enforcement for intervening at a 

time in her daughter’s life when nothing else seemed to be working. There are many similar untold stories resulting from the work 

being done by the Drug Task Force. Each story has a positive message of appreciation, resolve and a commitment to taking the community back from drug dealers. 

The Drug Task Force truly provides a specialized and valuable 

resource to State and local law enforcement agencies in our statewide efforts to reduce drug supply. Time and time again, the task 

force model proves to be one of the most successful management 

tools used by law enforcement today in Vermont and across the Nation. 

In addition to the achievements of the Drug Task Force, I have 

been working with my command staff to implement a plan to issue 

naloxone to every trooper in the state. It is called Narcan as well. 

Having this drug in the hands of first responders will ensure that 

it is available, if necessary, to reverse the effect of a drug overdose 

that could potentially mean the difference between life and death. 

This is an important step to further our public safety mission and 

one that I am proud to support. We are working hand in hand with 

our Department of Health to ensure this process moves forward. 

As a rural State, we face unique challenges in our efforts to curb 

drug abuse and the effects it has on our citizens. We do not have 

the luxury of the vast resources that exist in urban cities or suburban regions, so to be effective we must pool our resources and collaborate together in order to solve these problems. Although it can 

be more difficult to find solutions in a rural State such as Vermont, 

the fundamentals of illegal drug markets are the same everywhere. 

Where there is a demand, there will always be a supply. We cannot 

ignore this fact, and we must work to both disrupt drug trade and 

reduce demand. Commissioner Flynn is 100 percent focused on this 

issue. 

This past January we invited Dr. William Roberts of the Northwestern Medical Center to speak to the entire command staff of the 

Vermont State Police about addiction. Dr. Roberts is a specialist in 

pain management and a leader in Vermont on addiction issues. I 
23 

believe that forging these types of partnerships between law enforcement and the medical community is essential to breaking 

down barriers between the two groups and generating an intelligent and comprehensive approach to resolving this problem. 

It is often said that law enforcement cannot solve this problem 

alone, but the truth is that no one can solve it alone. We must continue to build strong relationships like the one the Vermont State 

Police now has with Dr. Roberts at the Department of Health and 

Bob Bick of the Howard Center in our effort to drive down demand 

and ultimately reduce the influx of heroin into the State. 

As we move forward, I will continue to rely on the tremendous 

support we have received and continue to receive from both the 

State and Federal Government. Without the funding secured by 

Senator Leahy over the years—and it does go back decades—our 

ability to operate the Drug Task Force at the level of success it enjoys today would not be possible. Subsequently our ability to positively impact local communities and rural sections of the State 

would be severely diminished. 

With your help, we will continue to focus on our mission of preventing further abuse through education and outreach as well as 

reducing both the supply and demand of heroin through strong enforcement and an equally strong treatment response. 

I would like to thank Senator Leahy, Congressman Welch, and 

the entire Committee for the opportunity to participate today. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Colonel L’Esperance appears as a 

submission for the record.] 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, thank you very much. 

[Applause.] 

Chairman LEAHY. I would also note that Jeff Unger of Senator 

Sanders’ staff is here, too, and this is something that all three 

members of our delegation are trying to work very closely on, also 

with the Governor. 

Let me ask the U.S. Attorney a question. You talked about—and 

it is a tragic case—going with the father of this young man who 

died to high schools and talking to students. And I think we all 

agree that the ‘‘Thou shalt not’’ kind of thing is not very effective. 

It has got to be a lot more than that. 

What do you draw from those conversations? What do you feel 

gets across to the students? 

Mr. COFFIN. I think it is really important for the students to 

have somebody that they can relate to, who they think is not trying 

to exaggerate or moralize to them. And one of the great things is 

Skip is just excellent at that. He was a math teacher for 30 years. 

He gets high school kids. He is very eloquent. And really I think 

the biggest message that people get is just the power of what he 

is saying. It is clear that this is something he carries with him 

every single day of his life. And for kids to see what that is like 

really opens their eyes. They see the film. The film has a lot of 

other people who—you know, Derek Hallquist did an amazing job 

capturing kind of this real straight, direct human stuff and this 

truth and honesty. And I think kids wake up to that and listen to 

that. 
24 

Chairman LEAHY. Well, do you get feedback on, ‘‘Well, that is 

somebody else. That does not affect me’’ ? Or do they really ask 

questions? 

Mr. COFFIN. Yes, a little bit. You get all kinds of response, and 

some of it is, ‘‘Oh, come on,’’ a little roll of the eyes. But then when 

they think about it a little bit, you know, it is like a Russian roulette situation. It might not be you, but, you know, it was that guy. 

He is here to tell me about it, and it was him, and he started off 

taking a few pills and, you know, threw his whole life away. And 

there is this guy, he is doing a 16-year bit in federal prison. And 

it gets their attention. 

Chairman LEAHY. I remember the pediatrician who spoke up in 

St. Albans at one of these hearings. 

Mr. COFFIN. Dr. Holmes, yes. 

Chairman LEAHY. Dr. Holmes, whom we all know well, and he 

explained to parents that opiate addiction was a real problem 

among people of the age of their daughter. And they said, ‘‘‘Well, 

we will certainly be watchful for this.’’ He said, ‘‘You have not been 

watchful soon enough. I am talking about your daughter.’’ 

Mr. COFFIN. Right. 

Chairman LEAHY. And I tell you, you could hear a pin drop in 

that room. That got everybody’s attention. 

There was a sentencing hearing, I am told, last week in federal 

court in Burlington, a young woman, conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. She had been an addict for years. Can you tell me 

what was unique about that case? 

Mr. COFFIN. Sure. You know, there are a lot of things unique it 

and a lot of things that were sort of an archetype. This was somebody who got wrapped up with a very violent and serious high-level 

drug trafficker, three prior drug convictions, selling a lot of heroin 

and crack, and she got herself involved where she was doing all 

those things for him to feed her addiction. You know, a victim of 

domestic violence and a lot of other really terrible exploitation by 

this person. But she got into federal court, and unfortunately a lot 

of terrible things have to go wrong for somebody to end up in our 

court. But when they get there, it is not always the end of the 

story. And we have got an amazing court and an amazing probation office, and when somebody goes through our court, they get assigned a case manager to follow them. They can get access to firstclass drug treatment, supports, and other things they do to follow 

them through and get them on the right road. 

And, you know, there is sometimes some tough love and there is 

sometimes some soft love, as the case goes on. And really what 

they do is they manage the case to make sure somebody does not 

fall off the path too far before they are pulled back onto it. And 

there are consequences for not complying, and there are rewards 

for complying. And this person was able, after some early slip-ups, 

to get into inpatient drug treatment, benefited greatly from that, 

maintained additional counseling throughout, urinalysis to make 

sure that she is really clean and not just hoping she is clean, and 

for eight months was able to remain clean and is on the right road. 

She is going to be under supervision by the same staff at the probation office for a period of time longer, but the sentencing judge 

was extremely pleased with that outcome. 
25 

And that is not a unique outcome. It is one that does not happen 

all the time, but it is far from unique, and I think it is important 

to recognize. 

Chairman LEAHY. It is a lot better than warehousing in a prison. 

Mr. COFFIN. Absolutely. 

Chairman LEAHY. I am going to go back and forth on this. As I 

mentioned before, I was born in Montpelier, and that is a particular type of city. Then when I practiced law, I lived in Burlington, first in private practice, then as a prosecutor. I now live 

on a dirt road in the town of Middlesex, Vermont. I mention three 

really different communities. 

So my question to Mary Alice McKenzie is: In Burlington, we 

have a Boys & Girls Club. What do you do in rural areas? My nearest neighbor is half a mile away. Now, the blessing of that is it is 

my son and daughter-in-law and an 11-year-old granddaughter. 

But what do you do in a rural area? 

Ms. MCKENZIE. Well, we have talked a lot about this with the 

Boys & Girls Clubs, the group of us, and it is tough in a rural area. 

But I think you start with what you have got. You look at what 

are your assets in the community, what do you have for youth, and 

you build on what you have. Almost everybody has got a school. Almost everybody has got a school that has got a gym. Almost everybody has got caring adults, maybe college students. So you have got 

something to start with. And if the goal is find out what the youth 

lack and try to plug that gap, then you use what you have got. 

Boys & Girls Clubs, however, do come in all shapes and sizes. 

There are some that are very tiny. 

Chairman LEAHY. I know. 

Ms. MCKENZIE. You know. And the key is to keep an effort sustainable, so be very realistic about what assets you have that you 

can use and what is the plan going forward so that you do not start 

something one year and then you are done the next year. That is 

doing a disservice with you. 

As those of us who have mentored other communities say first 

and say very often, if you look to building a youth organization 

around public money, municipal budget money, you are going to 

fail. So the community has to support it, whether that is a $10,000- 

a-year support level or more than that. 

So I think you start with what you have got and you build on 

that, and you make it sustainable. And I really think you can be 

a very small community and make that happen if you have the will 

to do it. 

Chairman LEAHY. Speaking of communities coming together, I 

am going to ask Chief Baker this. I made a comment in the cloakroom off the Senate. Several Senators were talking, talking about 

what we are going to do during the recess, because the House and 

the Senate are out of session this week, and I said that Congressman Welch and I are going to be holding a hearing in Rutland, 

Vermont. They said, ‘‘Oh, the city that was on the front page of the 

New York Times.’’ I said, ‘‘The city is on the front page of the New 

York Times because they came together to address a problem. They 

came together because of a community response.’’ And I said, ‘‘I 

guarantee you, every one of you has a Rutland in your State, but 

have they come together?’’ 
26 

So tell us a little bit about Project VISION. How has this helped 

in the turnaround? 

Chief BAKER. Thank you for recognizing that, Senator. You know, 

we have had varying reaction to the media coverage we have here 

in the city over the last couple weeks, but many of us do take the 

same position you take, that we are there because we recognize we 

have this challenge. We recognize that the challenge is affecting 

the quality of life in our city. It plays out in family disturbances, 

neighborhood disturbances, acts of disorderly conduct, larcenies. 

And we recognize that the only way we are going to do this, as I 

said earlier, is all hands on deck. 

I think one of the things when we started this conversation a 

couple years ago—and some of the testimony here today fits exactly 

what I am about ready to describe—many of us operated in our old 

silos. You know, we hear this all the time in law enforcement, that 

law enforcement has these turf battles, and we operate in silos, and 

we do not share information. You know, it is the same story that 

has been repeated over 20, 25, 30 years. What is real challenging— 

and I heard Mary Alice talk about this earlier—is when you start 

bringing in non-traditional partners and you want to share information and they play from a whole different set of rules than you 

do when it comes to sharing information, if I want to talk to another police officer about someone who may be dealing drugs, I 

meet him in a parking lot and grab a cup of coffee, and I say, ‘‘Hey, 

this is what I am hearing.’’ Try to have that with someone who has 

a mental health crisis worker who has a patient on their caseload 

or a social worker or somebody in the medical field, because of regulations around such things as HIPAA. It makes it very difficult 

to be able to have those conversations and break down those silos. 

The other thing that I think we found challenging is within those 

silos where there are only so many dollars on the table, and sometimes the best intended people will fight over quarters that are laying on the ground. And at the end of the day, I think what we have 

come to realize here in Rutland is fighting over those same dollars 

does not make sense. 

So what we need to do is everyone can hold onto their own dollars, everyone can hold onto their own grants, but how are we 

going to collectively take that and set metrics and figure out how 

we are doing better, and how are we going to do that collectively. 

And I think that has been the most revealing, most challenging, 

but the most strength-building exercises we have done, are around 

those kinds of conversations we have had, where people have had 

to put aside what their traditional beliefs are about how to get to 

the bottom of this problem. And it has built unbelievable partnerships, unbelievable relationships, and I will give you one example. 

Last Friday, the social workers that are housed inside our building, dancing around the issues of confidentiality and making sure 

that, you know, we are not violating the privacy of other folks. A 

conversation broke out with one of the social workers that led us 

to realize that there were two registered sex offenders living inside 

a residence that we would not have known about if, in fact, we did 

not have those kind of conversations around the water cooler. 

And I know when you came to visit us and we took you on the 

little tour upstairs, you know, I talked to you about the water cool-
27 

er and the coffee pot. It is where it happens. It is where it happens. 

It is where we are finding out what is going on in our community 

that are putting members of our communities in harm’s way, and 

the difference is because everyone is together, we are reacting to 

it collectively. 

And I am happy to report—it is about 2:35 right now—that those 

two individuals were arraigned at one o’clock today on violations 

because of the sexual registry. And that would not have happened, 

Senator, if we did not have those kind of relationships. 

Chairman LEAHY. And I agree, and they are important. And it 

is also important to not fight over the quarters but rather fight for 

a result. And I think when some of my colleagues hear what you 

had to say, you may get invites to come to other States and tell 

them how to do it. 

Dr. Chen, I am not a medical person. I have heard that naloxone, 

which is used to counter the effects of an opioid overdose, and 

naltrexone, which blocks the high one might get and prevents relapses and can be administered every 30 days. Are these drugs 

good? Bad? Either? Both? 

Dr. CHEN. Well, Senator, I think you have heard from Colonel 

L’Esperance about naloxone and it—— 

Chairman LEAHY. And he came in and briefed me in my office 

about that. 

Dr. CHEN. It is a potentially life-saving drug and has a very— 

has a strong place in terms of harm reduction. So this past year, 

the legislature actually passed a bill in Vermont to both allow for 

naloxone to be administered, allowed immunity for people calling 

911. So if you are using with somebody and they go down, you are 

able to call 911 without being afraid of being prosecuted. So it really has a place. It has a place in public safety vehicles. We have actually revised rules now in Vermont so it virtually can be carried 

in every ambulance that has an EMT on it. So those are all available. 

Chairman LEAHY. So your department supports naloxone? 

Dr. CHEN. Absolutely. But it is not a magic bullet. I think it 

needs to be part of a comprehensive approach, both in terms of prevention, intervention, and treatment. 

In terms of naltrexone, that is a drug where we are investigating 

how we might use it. We all thought perhaps in the past that 

Antabuse might be a wonderful drug for alcohol abuse, we do not 

use it much, if at all right now. And I think that we need to find 

the appropriate place for this naltrexone. One place that it seems 

like it might make some sense is to interface and link with the correctional system. So you have an inmate who is coming out of the 

correctional system who may be at particular risk for using again, 

and providing them this drug with a strong commitment to enter 

into treatment and to enter into community supports, this might 

be a reasonable strategy for them. So we are actually—in a few 

weeks, I am going to meet with the manufacturer of the drug. 

Chairman LEAHY. As you do, to the extent you can, can you keep 

me and my office and Congressman Welch and Senator Sanders 

posted on that, what you are finding? 

Dr. CHEN. Absolutely. 
28 

Chairman LEAHY. And, last, Colonel L’Esperance, one of the 

things I found probably the most difficult choice when I was a prosecutor is when to withhold prosecution. It is always easy to say, 

okay, technically this is a violation, I will prosecute. But then there 

are times you ask youself, does somebody deserve a second chance 

or not? 

You mentioned in your testimony, after one of the sweeps—let 

me make sure I have got this right. You were contacted by a mother who told the story of how her daughter’s arrest ultimately saved 

her life. How do we make a determination when it is time to try 

an opportunity or a program that might give someone a second 

chance? Is there some automatic formula? Or does this really require a judgment call, one at a time? 

Colonel L’ESPERANCE. I think, Senator, that working hand in 

hand with the prosecutor to understand the background of the individual that we are talking about. I think in the world of heroin, 

there are only two people that do not benefit from it: the poppy 

farmer himself and the addict. Everybody in between, there is a 

profit there. So we—— 

Chairman LEAHY. That is an interesting point. 

Colonel L’ESPERANCE. We need to focus on those individuals. Jail 

is a place for someone that profits from heroin distribution. There 

is no two ways about it. Those individuals that are addicted that 

need treatment need to be recognized early on in the process, and 

I think there are a number of programs now that are there that 

do this. But to give someone a second chance is what we are here 

for, whether it is Narcan—I never thought I would need immunity 

to save someone’s life, I will be honest with you. It was the easiest 

decision I have ever made as colonel. And the positive response 

from law enforcement across the State, and I hope that every 

squad room and every crew in the State eventually has that, because that individual that has overdosed, it takes them from the 

jaws of death and they have a mother, a brother, or father, an 

uncle that would love nothing more for a second chance. 

Chairman LEAHY. You know, we have a man who is now chief 

of emergency services in a major metropolitan hospital who tells 

the story about being a young resident at the University of 

Vermont, and there was a place called ‘‘The Place’’ in Burlington, 

where people could come with an overdose. And these young residents and interns were volunteering their time. There was no law 

that said they could do it. I just said there would be no prosecution, 

and the police said they would not surveil it. The one thing is they 

had to empty their pockets, give any drugs they had, partly because we wanted to test the drugs and see if strychnine and other 

things were going in it. This doctor tells me he was a week away 

from graduation. He goes out to the State Police barracks out on 

40th at the time with a big bag of drugs. He had a ponytail and 

a Fu Manchu moustache. He comes walking in with this bag saying, ‘‘Either this immunity’’—which is not written down anywhere—‘‘is actually going to work, or there goes how many years 

of medical training down the drain.’’ 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY. He hands it to the sergeant, and he said, ‘‘This 

was at The Place.’’ He says, ‘‘Okay.’’ Leaves it there. He said, ‘‘Do 
29 

you want my name?’’ He said, ‘‘I do not want it. Leahy does not 

want it. Good-bye.’’ 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY. So talk about your immunity triggered that 

memory. 

Peter. 

Representative WELCH. Well, you know, that story that you just 

said reminded me of the great Gillie Godnick. We were in Rutland, 

and he said, ‘‘You know, Peter’’—he educated me my first term in 

the Senate. He said, ‘‘Sometimes you got to forget about principle 

and just do the right thing.’’ 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY. That sounds like Gillie, rest his soul. 

Representative WELCH. Dr. Chen, a couple weeks ago I was up 

at the Howard Center, the treatment program, with the drug czar 

and the Governor, and there are a lot of adults coming in there and 

getting the treatment on the way to work. And this problem that 

we are facing is affecting all ages, the kids, but a lot of adults. And 

one of the causes that a lot of us, I think, are hearing about is the 

prescription, some would say overprescription, of pain medication 

that people get for very legitimate reasons, but then find that the 

powerful effects of that are tougher than to stop taking it or looking for some alternative when the reason for the prescription has 

long since passed. 

So the question I have is: What role is the medical community 

in the prescription of these powerful drugs playing in, adding to 

the burden? And what is it that we can do about that? 

Dr. CHEN. So, Congressman Welch, your point is absolutely well 

taken. I think that the medical community does share responsibility in why we are all sitting here today. I think that if nothing 

else, the Governor’s State of the State would certainly highlight for 

each and every physician who is practicing and prescribing in 

Vermont. 

I think that we have strategies in place that can improve that, 

whether it be educating physicians about appropriate prescribing, 

educating prescribers to use the drug data base, the Prescription 

Monitoring System, to ensure that people are not doctor shopping 

and diverting drugs to creating a set of kind of guidelines and rules 

that would really be universal precautions so that when you do 

prescribe opiates for a person on a long-term basis, you want to ensure that you get informed consent so people know what they are 

really getting into and what the risks are. You want to make sure 

that they are being screened for potential substance abuse. And 

you want to make sure that they are agreeing to work with you, 

as a partner with a physician, whether it be urine tests to make 

sure they are taking the drugs or not taking other drugs, whether 

it be pill counts. All of those things, I think, are important strategies that medical providers could use. 

And so right now we are working on some of those rules. I know 

in the workers’ compensation bill are another set of rules that 

Vermont wants to use, even more stringent, as the ‘‘insurer’’ to ensure that both people get adequate treatment for their pain but 

they can get back to work sooner, because it is clearly shown that 
30 

the more opioids they get, the longer it takes for people to get back 

to work. 

Representative WELCH. Thank you, Dr. Chen. 

Chief Baker, one of the challenges is how do you provide support 

to the person that is making the decision that they want to get off, 

and it has got to be tough for some parents whose kids have made 

the wrong choices here. 

What are your dealings with parents? And is that something 

where there are ways with this broad-based approach that can help 

parents help their kids? 

Chief BAKER. My experience personally here as the chief, as I 

talk about often between my career in the State Police and being 

here as chief, I am very close to the citizens in Rutland just by the 

nature of what my position is. Ironically, just today I got an email 

from a woman who I spoke to about 10 months ago who had a son 

who was addicted, and she emailed me today to tell me that her 

son was clean for about six months, and she was celebrating, as 

she said in her email, getting her son back. 

Representative WELCH. But they need some support, too, right? 

Chief BAKER. Absolutely. When you hear some of these stories 

from the parents who—you know, I do not know what this definition is—did everything right, for all of us in this room that are parents, and you listen to these stories, it is heart-wrenching. And 

they just turn to anywhere they can to find help. And I do think 

that we are lucky we have some support groups in this community, 

but I think there has to be a way to support these folks that are 

fighting this with their kids. And, you know, they go to bed every 

night. You hear these conversations with these parents. They do 

not know where their kids are. They know they are abusing. They 

are going to bed. They are just waiting for that knock to come on 

the door. And to hear those stories over and over is heart-wrenching. 

And I think much of this, we do not sometimes measure the residual fallout from that for these parents, and I think it is absolutely crucial that communities create some space and be supportive of those folk that are going through it, because, you know, 

as the saying is, by the grace of God there go I. And, you know, 

it is heart-wrenching to hear these stories, and there is not a week 

that goes by—I have a woman who is waiting to hear from me now 

that wants to talk to me about her daughter who has been fighting 

addiction for over five years. 

Representative WELCH. Thank you. 

Mr. Coffin, I know that sentencing issues are really important 

federally, and I know quite a while ago Senator Leahy had Judge 

Sessions appointed to the Sentencing Commission with a lot of debate about whether the old-style sentences that are still current 

law are a hindrance or a help. And, obviously, you are on the front 

line in your current job as the U.S. Attorney here in Vermont. Do 

you have any thoughts about whether there is room for sentencing 

reform that would be useful? 

Mr. COFFIN. Yes, definitely. I think a lot of the academic research shows that a shorter period of time that is certain to be imposed is a greater deterrent than a longer period of time that is 

more of an uncertain consequence. And following up on that, Attor-
31 

ney General Holder has really charged us in a series of changes to 

how we charge our cases to look at more individualized assessments of each defender and their particular circumstances and 

their particular offense in determining what type of offense to 

charge, because in the federal system, and in other systems, too, 

the nature of the charges that the prosecutor brings can drive to 

a significant extent what the sentencing outcome is. 

Also, Attorney General Holder has more recently, in some memos 

last August, directed us to limit our charging of mandatory minimums in cases where people are low-level, non-violent, and do not 

have serious criminal offenses. And I think those are really good 

changes, and, you know, one of the things I was lucky to be able 

to do. And our U.S. Attorney community nationally had some hand 

in crafting some of those changes. 

Representative WELCH. Thank you. 

And, Mary Alice, I just want to ask you, I have not been to the 

Boys & Girls Club as often as Senator Leahy, but I have been 

there, and it is an incredible place with lots going on—chaos in one 

area, people playing games, and then quiet in others where people 

are studying. It is really quite remarkable. 

But with those kids who are there versus you see kids who come 

in from all kinds of different families, some intact, others not, what 

are the things that the community can do that give the kids and 

the parents of those kids the best shot of having those children 

make better choices? 

Ms. MCKENZIE. Well, I think adults can start acting like adults, 

take responsibility for their kids. It does not matter what kind of 

background. Kids are like sponges, and they pick up the messages. 

And if you tell them on the one hand do not do drugs, but they see 

you on the other hand drinking a lot, using a lot of marijuana, they 

are not going to believe you. And it does not matter whether they 

are the most at-risk kid or a secure kid, because the path—kids 

that get into trouble, it is a really pretty similar path. They early 

are exposed to some addictive substance, seeing it in action. They 

try it. They go to a home where there is no adult in attendance, 

and they try it. Some are going to be okay. Others are not going 

to be okay. And those that are not going to be okay go up the chain 

of addiction. And you see it over and over and over. 

And so I think that as adults, if we accept our responsibility for 

the health, safety, and well-being of our children, then we all need 

to walk the walk. 

Representative WELCH. Okay. Thank you. 

Colonel L’Esperance, I was with Senator Leahy this morning, 

and he reminded me, in response to a question, about our highway 

fund, that we spent 42 trillion in Iraq, and he was wondering, you 

know, that money might have been spent in other places. 

Chairman LEAHY. Like the U.S. 

Representative WELCH. Well, the point here is that it is a tough 

time in Congress right now on budget and fiscal issues. But, on the 

other hand, it is a tough time in communities facing real challenges 

that need a partnership, and the partner should be federal tax dollars, which are your tax dollars, being wisely used to help communities that are willing to help themselves. And you mentioned that 

the Drug Task Force approach, which you have a lot of experience 
32 

with, in your view—and, of course, Chief Baker, you too—has really been effective. So, you know, this is the person both on Appropriations and Judiciary that probably has as much influence as 

anybody, short of the President. What is your message to us to 

bring back to our colleagues about the value of funding these drug 

task forces, the COPS grant, and the Byrne grants? 

Colonel L’ESPERANCE. I think if you speak to the chiefs and sheriffs behind me, they could tell you themselves. The funding at the 

local level, State level, when that gets diminished, we depend so 

heavily on—on Senator Leahy in particular—federal funding. I was 

the envy of my colleagues across the country for a number of years 

when we had a way of getting money to Vermont, so we were very 

fortunate. The Drug Task Force was built, the foundation of the 

task force was built on federal funding. But it became a house of 

cards after a period of time. But there is State legislation that Senator Sears in particular has supported and directed to the task 

force, and the chiefs and sheriffs behind me that buy into this, they 

send officers into the task force now with no funding backup. They 

understand the significance. It goes beyond the boundaries of their 

community. 

Representative WELCH. Okay. Thank you. 

Colonel L’ESPERANCE. Thank you. 

Representative WELCH. Thank you very much. 

Chairman LEAHY. I want you to know that there is now an effort 

to go back to doing things in Appropriations where we actually care 

about some of the needs here in this country. I think you are going 

to be happy that is going to happen. I am also going to try to reauthorize very soon the Leahy bulletproof vests bill. 

[Applause.] 

Chairman LEAHY. As we close, one thing. The mayor has been 

here through the whole hearing—and, Mr. Mayor, thank you very 

much because you have been very, very good at working with us 

on this, and I thank you for that. We have here the Attorney General, our Attorney General, our U.S. Marshal, and so many others 

in law enforcement. 

And, last, this is the card. 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY. So that I do not have to have one of my 

grandkids tell you how to do it, take that card. If you have some 

testimony you want to give, please limit it to 10 pages and get it 

to us by March 21st. 

And I mention this, think about it, if you have something you 

want to say, whether you agree or disagree—agree or disagree— 

feel free to do it. You know, we put testimony in the record, like 

Sheriff Marcoux’s and others, but this is going to be a part of the 

permanent record in the U.S. Senate. Both Republicans and Democrats will be influenced on this, on the question. And I will make 

sure the Appropriations Committee will see it, too. We do go by seniority in both Committees, and as some have heard me say, as I 

said earlier this morning, when I came to the Senate I had no seniority, and I hated the system; but now that I understand it—— 

[Laughter.] 

Chairman LEAHY [continuing]. Having studied it for a few decades, I love the system. And they will hear about it. 
33 

And I want to thank Peter Welch. He has got 40 different places 

he is supposed to be today, and he has been so concerned about 

this issue. He has been a great partner over in the House. The two 

of us have tried to approach this as a non-partisan issue. I have 

joined with some of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate as well as some of the most liberal Democrats, and we have 

been effectively able to get legislation through. 

This is not a political issue. This is our children. These are our 

family members. These are our brothers and sisters. In some instances, this is our parents. Let us work together. I think you know 

that we will be there for you because you have always been there 

for us. 

We stand in recess. 

[Applause.] 
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[WHEREUPON, AT 2:58 P.M., THE COMMITTEE WAS ADJOURNED.] 

A P P E N D I X 
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PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PATRICK LEAHY
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PREPARED STATEMENT OF TRISTRAM J. COFFIN
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PREPARED STATEMENT OF JAMES W. BAKER
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PREPARED STATEMENT OF HARRY CHEN, MD 
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PREPARED STATEMENT OF MARY ALICE MCKENZIE
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PREPARED STATEMENT OF COL. THOMAS L’ESPERANCE
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GRASSLEY FOR JAMES W. BAKER
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GRASSLEY FOR DR. HARRY CHEN
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GRASSLEY FOR MARY ALICE MCKENZIE
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GRASSLEY FOR COL THOMAS L’ESPERANCE
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RESPONSES OF JAMES W. BAKER TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GRASSLEY
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RESPONSES OF DR. HARRY CHEN TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR GRASSLEY
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RESPONSES OF MARY ALICE MCKENZIE TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR

GRASSLEY
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RESPONSES OF COL. THOMAS L’ESPERANCE TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY SENATOR

GRASSLEY
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Æ