TIVERTON — People here we’ll be seeing lots of the color purple here in weeks to come — purple ribbons on police cruisers, fire engines, DPW trucks, Town Hall, even purple Sakonnet River Bridge lights.

Former high school, college and NBA basketball player Chris Herren, whose battles with drug addiction led him to found The Herren Project, visited the Tiverton Police Station Monday morning to help launch THP Project Purple here.

“It’s a dream come true for me to be in a police station on this matter,” Mr. Herren said to laughter.

Project Purple was launched to break the stigma of addiction, bring awareness to the dangers of substance abuse, and encourage positive decision-making to navigate life’s challenges.

It aims to help stop addiction before it starts by bringing the problem out into the open rather than hiding it away, he said.

Mr. Herren visits over 200 high schools a year to spread the message “but my story is not enough. Kids need to be inspired to focus on the first day, not the worst day. All of the overdoses, and deaths and obituaries,” while sad and important, don’t stop addiction where it starts. “My heart is in prevention.”

Project Purple initiative concept was developed when Mr. Herren spoke at a local high school in 2011 and in the front row of students a few were wearing purple shirts. After he shared his story, one of the purple shirts raised her hand and stood up to speak. As snickering and laughter could be heard throughout the auditorium, the student said, “Thank you Mr. Herren for validating what we do. We are the sober students of this high school and each year we take a pledge to not use drugs or alcohol.”

Mr. Herren said he was inspired by the courage it took to stand up and share the symbolism of the purple shirts.

Acting Police Chief Patrick Jones said Tiverton Police welcome the chance to become involved.

“I think the need has never been greater,” and involves people from all backgrounds, the chief said. “If you told us 25 years ago that officers would be carrying medicine to reverse overdoses we wouldn’t have believed you.

“It’s prevention, it’s treatment it’s education that we need now more than ever,” Chief Jones added. “You can’t just keep arresting people — that’s not going to solve problems.”

It is remarkable to see all of Newport County “really embracing purple,” added Rebecca Elwell, coordinator of the Tiverton Prevention Coalition