as nbc's josh mankiewicz tells us, it's an idea that's catching on. >> reporter: police chief leonard camp donello from massachusetts, a longtime foot soldier in the war on drugs says, that war is over. and the winner was drugs. >> we've done it for 60 years. billions and billions of dollars. the result? heroin is cheaper, more available, more people are addicted, and more people are dying. >> reporter: a string of heroin overdose deaths over the last 18 months made the chief want to change how his department dealt with drug offenses. >> it's illegal to possess heroin. our historic response was arrest. >> reporter: but that was until he took a radically different approach. he calls it the angel initiative. instead of arrest, gloucester cops started taking addicts who came in and gave up their drugs straight to rehab. >> it's hard to find help. >> reporter: benjamin, father of a 2-year-old, is one of them. he came to the police station with trepidation, but found sergeant jeremy a castro eager to help him a hard-to-get bed in a detox center. >> are you starting to withdraw? >> a little

. >> josh mankiewicz is on the front line of a whole new war on drugs. >> just makes you want to give up all over again sometimes. >> offenders here don't get handcuffed. they get help. >> you don't arrest them even though they have drugs on them which is illegal? >> correct. >> i think the chief's intentions are misguided here. >> can it work? >> i just want to be sober. >> i sit down with the savvy young ceo of airbnb. this was the original crash pad. >> this is the original place. >> brian chesky from almost broke to billionaire. >> we couldn't pay rent. we inflated some beds and we called it the airbed and breakfast. >> his empire is now worth more than most hotel chains. >> he took having very ordinary and saw a different way to do it. >> over 50 million people using it. >> you're living large. >> yes. ♪ >> harry smith hits the road. >> i want to take you for a ride to a future when you stop driving and let the car drive itself. >> are you ready for a robotic revolution and maybe an accident free future. >> body shops. >> not so much repair. >> car insurance? >> a third of a what

[laughter] >> famous "dateline" correspondent josh mankiewicz got married three we

here's josh mankiewicz. >> reporter: arrogance. >> i predict he will not stand a chance. >> reporter:sity. >> because i'm still the king. >> reporter: controversy. >> there's one hell of a lot of difference in fighting in the ring and going to war in vietnam. >> reporter: eloquence. >> the greatest wonder, the greatest miracle, the greatest surprise is to be found in one's heart. >> reporter: grace. >> i went on talk for so long, i went on all the time. now me get on that guy and the loser and try to come back. so i don't feel bad. >> reporter: the man born cassius clay became muhammad ali and eventually proclaimed himself -- >> i'm the greatest fighter of all time. >> reporter: he taunted. >> joe frazier will literally do nothing, because he's now too old. >> reporter: ever the pugilist. always the poet. >> he'll fall to prove that i'm great. and if he keeps talking jibe, i'm going to cut it to five. >> reporter: objected. >> we black people in america are fighting the same common enemy. >> reporter: rejoice. >> i'm loaded with confidence. 22 professional fights and i'm pretty as a g

josh mankiewicz asked the chief about the criticism. >> are you going to stop arresting drunk drivers? that's a disease. are you going to show them compass by ushering them into a rehab program? >> if a drunk driver presents themselves and asks for help, absolutely we'll help them. if we came them on the road, no, absolutely not. it's the same with this program. if you're a year of heroin and you walk into our police station and you say i need help, we're going to try to help you. >> you can see more of this story tonight on nbc n"nbc nigh new news". >>> also tonight, the show must go on. showboat casino has been closed for years. now there are plan it is to reopen it, but as what. we'll have that for you next. >>> as we continue to follow this breaking news will chesterfield township, crews working to rescue a man trapped in waist-deep grain. we'll keep an eye on this. you scratch my back, i'll scratch yours. you know what it means. so does pat toomey. toomey got rich working on wall street. then he got elected and kept working, for wall street. voting to let banks continue their ris

. >> josh mankiewicz, great to see you? hanks. >> you can see more on josh's special on the heroin epidemic this sunday, 6:00 p.m. eastern only on nbc. >>> first, the big new investor a in the world's most valuable tech start-up, heres a the verge update. >> getting a cash investment of more than 3$3.5 billion. part of saudi arabia reffort t get way from dependence on oil. plans are already under way for 2$250 mention expansion in the middle east and looking for ways to invest in china. that's more, check on verge.com. 2% back at grocery stores and now at wholesale clubs. and 3% back on gas. kenny used his bankamericard cash rewards credit card to join the wednesday night league. because he loves to play hoops. not jump through them. that's the excitement of rewarding connections. apply online or at a bank of america near you. every ingredient is the main ingredient. the strawberry poppyseed... romaine, mandarin, pineapple, blueberry, strawberry, strawberry... strawberry... salad with chicken. at panera. food as it should be

. >> josh mankiewicz is on the front line of a whole new war on drugs. >> just makes you want to give. >> offenders here don't get handcuffed. they get help. >> you don't arrest them even though they have drugs on them which is illegal? >> correct. >> i think the chief's intentions are misguided here. >> can it work? >> i just want to be sober. >> i sit down with the savvy young ceo of airbnb.

josh mankiewicz reports. on assignment tonight at 7:00. back after this with end game and personal stories from the panel about muhammad ali. if you suffer from a dry mouth then you'll know how uncomfortable it can be. but did you know that the lack of saliva can also lead to tooth decay and bad breath? well, there is biotene specially formulated with moisturizers and lubricants... biotene can provide soothing relief and it helps keep your mouth healthy too. biotene, for people who suffer from a dry mouth. i've got allergies. and i'm doing just fine. claritin provides 24-hour relief of symptoms that can be triggered by over 200 allergens. yeah, over 200 allergens! with claritin my allergies don't come between me and victory. live claritin clear. hi! hey! i've made plans for later in case this date doesn't go well. same here. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? the citi double cash card does. earn 1% cash back when you buy and 1% as you pay. double means double. before i had the shooting, burning, pins-and-needles of diab

sunday night "dateline's" josh mankiewicz introduces us to a massachusetts police chief who has a radicalgrowing heroin epidemic in his town. >> you take the drugs and needles and whatever other paraphernalia people have and dispose of that. >> yes. >> and you don't arrest them? >> no. i think at that point -- >> and you don't arrest them, even though they have drugs on them, which is illegal. >> correct. desperate times call for desperate measures. >> i guess i never thought i'd hear of the day a policeman doesn't arrest someone for crimes committed. >> if we continue to arrest people for crimes related to addiction but don't treat addiction, we don't get anywhere. >> you can see that on a special broadcast of "on assignment" this sunday only on nbc. >>> the latest on the deadly flooding that has left five ft. hood soldiers dead when those powerful floodwaters swept away their truck, a number of soldiers still missing. the days of severe weather that caused those floods, will it let up any time soon? stay with us. a deluge of digital records. x-rays, mris. all on account...of penelope. b