(CNN) A Massachusetts police chief took to Facebook on Sunday with an impassioned plea to addicts after his town saw four overdoses in the span of 24 hours. Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello wrote a post urging addicts to get help. "Your life is more meaningful than your death," he wrote. "Don't be ashamed of your illness. We are not ashamed of you, It's time...come and get the help." In Gloucester, the police can actually be "the help" addicts seek. The city is the home of a revolutionary program called the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative that connects addicts with rehabilitation centers. As CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported in a story about the program last month, addicts can simply walk into the police department and request help. An "angel" is then assigned to the addict to walk him or her through the process of entering rehab.Gloucester, Massachusetts, saw four heroin overdoses in 24 hoursOverdoses may be connected to "bad batch" of heroinPolice chief calls for reform in approach to addiction
_ told CNN that incidents like this only drive home the need for strong action at the state and federal level against heroin addiction.