Tuesday, August 3, 2010

On Meth Labs, Public Safety and Law Enforcement


I was astonished to hear Deb Markowitz say “if there is a meth lab found or domestic violence at 3AM and you call the state police, no one is there”.   Obviously she doesn’t know much about law enforcement in Vermont. 

Law Enforcement Cooperation and Support

I have been working with all of Vermont’s law enforcement organizations for many years and one of the reason’s Vermont is one of the safest places to live is the cooperation between all of our law enforcement agencies.  If something happens in the middle of the night and we call for assistance, we will receive help as soon as practically possible.  That help could be the state police, or your local police or your local sheriff, but you will receive help ASAP.  Who shows up truly depends on who can get to you the fastest.  That’s what cooperation and coordination are all about.

We have a statewide system of data sharing that is the envy of many other states, the Spillman system.  It is run by the Vermont Criminal Justice system and for those individual agencies that do not have this system; “gateways” have been built so they can connect into the database.   Could the system be even better, sure it could, but Vermont is way ahead of many states.  Vermont has taken advantage of Federal dollars for many years to build up this statewide system so all of our law enforcement people have the information they need in a timely manner.

The “meth” labs that were found in St. Albans were discovered by cooperative work between several agencies.  The word “lab” congers up a room full of dangerous, bubbling mixtures. Vermont took proactive measures a number of years ago when meth was becoming a serious issue through the country.  Vermont passed laws that make it very difficult to purchase the ingredients necessary to produce meth.  Our law enforcement saw this issue coming and asked us to act before it became a large-scale issue in Vermont.  We have been successful in our collaboration.

When a lab or drug scene is discovered, there are excellent protocols set up between Vermont law enforcement and the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency).  By following these protocols and having the DEA involved in the work, the cost of the clean up and disposal of the illegal substances is handled by the DEA.  That saves the state a great deal of money. 

Domestic Violence Training

The additional training that she wants for domestic violence has been in place for sometime.  All officers are required to get a mandatory 8 hours of training above and beyond their regular training and after than an additional 2 hours to keep them up to date on the newest procedures and methods.  While domestic violence is a serious issue, Vermont is a leader in the country in having our law enforcement people and our courts work to protect victims and support them through the legal process.  I have been part of these changes and have received recognition for my work in the area of domestic violence.

Prescription Drug Use

The last issue that she talks about is the abuse of prescription drugs.  This has been targeted by Vermont law enforcement as a top priority.  It’s fine to say you will work with the pharmaceutical companies to change how they make pills.  What about right now?  We know that the biggest issues facing us are heroin and prescription pills. 

Vermont law enforcement works with the DEA constantly to find large-scale dealers in prescription drugs and they have been successful in busting a number of rings.  A real issue is all the drugs in our own homes.  These are pills left over and just left sitting in the bathroom cabinet creating a target for criminals and addicts.   St. Albans had a model program for the disposal of these left over and tempting pills.  Working with the hospital, local pharmacists and law enforcement, they had collections of old prescriptions.  A problem arose because the cost of properly disposing of these pills is very high. 

On September 25 this year, Vermont is going to participate in a nation wide day to help all of us dispose of unused pharmaceuticals in a safe way.  Statewide our local sheriffs, working with other law enforcement and the DEA are going to have collections points for unused pills.  These pills will then be collected by the DEA and they will destroy them.  It is hoped that this will become a routine event all over the country.  Now there is a fast, effective, safe and efficient way to address a large part of the supply of illegally used prescription drugs.  Leave it to innovative Vermont law enforcement to develop a better way to deal with the issue.

Vermont has a Drug Task Force comprised of state troopers, municipal officers and deputy sheriffs that work around the state to deal with our drug issues.  The reality is that as long as there is money to be made, there will be folks who sell drugs.  The single most important thing that law enforcement and the rest of us can do is prevention through education.  Teaching young people the dangers of drug abuse and the signs of substance abuse is important and it is an ongoing task.  It is just as important to have adult’s dispose of their unused pills.   Vermont has been working hard to deal with these issues and we should all be aware of the work that goes on around the clock.  Can we do more, of course we can, but we have a great base and considering our economy, we get a great return on our investments.

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