Mayfield Police Chief Nathan Kent is committed to improving Graves County’s approach to harm reduction.
Mayfield Police Chief Nathan Kent is committed to improving Graves County’s approach to harm reduction, both for people living with active opioid use disorder and the law enforcement officers he leads. His work with Graves County’s Syringe Service Program, which includes counseling and peer support, helps reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases commonly spread through shared needles.
Mayfield’s police department also prioritizes training for officers in crisis intervention techniques, or CIT, and naloxone administration. “Our program here tries to meet individuals where they’re at but not to leave them there. Everything we’re doing is striving towards an individual’s recovery,” Chief Kent says. “Ultimately our goal in law enforcement is to keep the peace and serve the public. If people in active addiction can seek treatment and reenter the community, then everybody wins.”