The Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the expansion of the Narcotics Arrest Diversion Program (NADP), which is designed to divert individuals with a substance use disorder away from the criminal justice system and towards treatment and recovery services. The expansion of the program is an important step in CPD’s reform efforts. Diverting individuals experiencing a substance use disorder to the public health system improves health outcomes and enables CPD to focus its time and energy on the deterrence and investigation of other crime, including violent crime. The NADP offers substance use disorder treatment in place of criminal charges for individuals arrested for select drug-related offenses. The program was launched in CPD’s 11th (Harrison) District in 2018 and has since expanded into 11 more police districts. It will expand into all 22 police districts by the end of the year. The program is expanding amidst a citywide increase in drug overdoses. There were over 13,700 opioid-related overdoses in Chicago in 2020, a 31.5 percent increase over 2019. Provisional data indicate that there were 1,299 overdose deaths in 2020, which represents a 51.9 percent increase in overdose deaths compared to 2019. Overdoses disproportionately impact high economic hardship areas and are heavily concentrated on the West Side. For more information about opioids in Chicago, visit https://overcomeopioids.org/