Pubdate: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 Source: Taber Times, The (CN AB) Copyright: 2008 The Taber Times Contact: http://www.tabertimes.com/forms/letterToEditor.php Website: http://www.tabertimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2262 Author: Greg Price Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?217 (Drug-Free Zones) DRUG-FREE ZONES HIT TABER Children are the future, and several groups here in Taber are making sure its youth are as protected as possible. What has been four years in the making came to fruition on Tuesday as 35 signs were put up in town surrounding a two-block radius around Immanuel Christian, Dr. Hamman, St. Patrick's, St. Mary's, Central and W.R. Myers schools, and the Taber Skateboard Park, to deem them Drug Free zones. "It's really important that we get the right message out to the community," said Sgt. Howard Kehler of the Taber Police Service. "It's not OK to use or possess drugs anywhere, but if you traffic drugs in our drug-free zones, we are simply going to seek a greater punishment." Under Section 10, subsection two of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, once a person is convicted of a drug-related offence, during the sentencing courts shall consider certain aggravating circumstances. One of those is if the individual trafficked an illegal drug or substance in or near a school, on or near a school grounds or on or near a public place frequented by people under the age of 18. Partners in the Drug Free Zone program are Taber Community Against Drugs, Taber Police Service, the Town of Taber, Horizon School Division, Holy Spirit School Division and the Society for Christian Education for Southern Alberta. Hopes for the program are to diminish school-aged children's susceptibility in becoming involved with drugs by providing a supportive environment to help children resist social pressures and pursue drug-free lives. It is also to provide students in the various school divisions in town an opportunity to learn in a safe drug-free environment by reducing substance abuse and associated problems, along with giving law enforcement another tool in prosecuting drug-related offences. "We want to send a message to the community that we are doing as much as we can to combat abuse, possession and trafficking of illegal substances. This is one more tool that we can use," said Kehler. "The law is already there, it's bringing it to the attention of the courts that the offence was committed in a drug free zone that is important." Taber Police Service lay the charge of the drug-related offence and a community-impact statement is read by the crown prosecutor after conviction. It will ensure that the impact illegal substances have on the community is brought to the attention of the courts and hopefully greater punishments will be handed out. Kehler has been approached with the question of why not make all of Taber a drug-free zone, in which it is a matter of the partner groups of Drug Free zones using the law in its current form to the best of its ability, with its focus on the gravity of affecting youth. "We encourage people that if they want to make our community a safer place to live to get involved, and that includes the reporting of illicit drug use or trafficking, whether it's in a drug-free zone or if it's out of a drug-free zone," said Kehler. "The emphasis is it's wrong whether it's in or out of a drug-free zone, but this is one more tool that shows the courts that the community is concerned about the well-being of our children." Measuring the success of the DFZ program will require schools to monitor the number of drug-related suspensions levied to determine if numbers decrease. Taber Police Service will monitor the number of drug-related charges made within the DFZ to determine if numbers decrease. The Taber Police Service will also be monitoring the number of prosecutions of offenders who committed drug-related crimes in a DFZ and upon conviction, monitor if offenders received stronger penalties/consequences than they would have prior to the implementation of the DFZ. The partner groups are also hoping for a higher report of violations with the increased awareness the campaign brings, with signs having the number for Crime Stoppers and the Taber Police Service on them. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom