From Arrests to Empathy: Evolving Perspectives on Addiction

Forzato began his law enforcement career at the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office in 1986. In 1992, Forzato transferred to the Narcotic Enforcement Team and for the next 27 years, worked in undercover roles and investigated drug traffickers, pursuing them locally, nationally and internationally. As a Lieutenant, Forzato supervised undercover detectives and 480 local police officers who served in a drug task force. Forzato led more than 100 wiretaps where his team seized thousands of pounds of drugs including kilograms of heroin and fentanyl. Forzato was sworn-in as a federal agent in the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. In 2017, Forzato joined Pennsylvania’s Attorney General as Deputy Chief of Statewide Drug Initiatives where he led new initiatives addressing the drug overdose crisis in Pennsylvania. Forzato testified as an expert in drug abuse, trafficking, and wiretapping in local, state and federal courts. Forzato has interviewed hundreds of drug dealers, suppliers and users. Forzato remains up to date on the current drug-trafficking trends statewide, nationally, and internationally. Forzato trained thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and public health officials. Forzato now directs the Center for Addiction and Recovery Education at Saint Joseph’s University and leads its Phoenix Training for first responders.