And the city has opened its first methadone clinic. Residents had opposed one for years, but the need became too acute. Now, those needing this form of treatment do not have to travel an hour away; the clinic, which opened in November, expects to serve 400 people by the end of the year.

One of the galvanizing events occurred in September 2012, when a man was inhaling gas from an aerosol can while driving on city streets. The police say he passed out with his foot on the accelerator and plowed into a bank of parked cars at 80 miles an hour, killing Carly Ferro, 17, a high school student who was leaving work.

It was a sign to many that the city had spun out of control. Rutland was still mired in the recession, burglaries were up and residents had little confidence in city institutions. The Police Department, for example, faced allegations of officer misconduct, including watching pornography at work.

And drugs were everywhere.

“I was shocked at the depth of addiction here,” said James W. Baker, a former director of the Vermont State Police, who was brought in as police chief in 2012 to overhaul the department. “We had open drug markets going on in the street.”

And residents began to feel that the relaxed quality of life they cherished in Vermont was eroding.

“More and more people’s homes were being broken into, and that raised the alarm,” said Korrine Rodrigue, a public health researcher here.

It became clear that the city could not arrest its way out of addiction and that the police alone could not handle the multiple issues that were arising from drug abuse. And so the police began meeting with social workers, advocates for victims of domestic violence and child abuse, building inspectors and others.