Pubdate: Mon, 30 Dec 2013
Source: Elko Daily Free Press (NV)
Copyright: 2013 Elko Daily Free Press
Contact:  http://www.elkodaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2326
Author: Elaine Bassier

ELKO'S WAR ON DRUGS RAGES ON

ELKO - In the summer of 2013, the Free Press ran a series on the
problem of methamphetamine in the Elko community. According to Free
Press files, as many as one in four arrests in Elko county are
connected to drugs in some way.

"It's a multi-faceted problem," Elko Police Chief Ben Reed said,
adding drug use can lead to domestic violence, burglary and child abuse.

Reed was not the police chief at the time the series was written, but
he has seen the problem of meth causing property crime as well as
violent crime in the community. He and Lt. Ty Trouten said it affects
a lot of people, from users to family members to employers.

Trouten said even the smallest use of meth in a home creates a toxic
film over every surface. Children who are taken out of a home with
heavy meth use are treated for exposure to hazardous materials.

"If it's bad for us, it's really bad for the child," Trouten
said.

Trouten also said a lot of police officers are seeing
multi-generational users. They often find themselves arresting the
children of users they've arrested in the past.

Breaking the cycle of meth abuse is one thing Reed would like to focus
on in the upcoming year. A new protocol called the Drug Endangered
Children initiative is going to be implemented by the police in 2014.
DEC has been tested in other states and proven successful, Reed said.
It pools the resources of law enforcement, courts, Nevada Division of
Child and Family Services and Partners Allied for Community Excellence
Coalition.

Trouten said DEC provides recognition that drug use and the user
lifestyle are harmful and acknowledges children are in danger in drug
users' homes. Children can be brought out of that situation and given
the care they need.

Reed believes DEC is a significant step for Elko, but it only
addresses one component of a big community problem.

Violence and incarceration

Other problems drugs bring into the community are a rise in domestic
violence and an increased jail population, Undersheriff Clair Morris
said.

The domestic violence is frustrating to Morris, since families and
children are involved. He said Nevada has some of the toughest laws in
the country on domestic violence, but it's still a problem.

"I don't see that improving," he said. "I wish I knew how to stop
it."

The Elko County Jail is meant to hold 100 inmates, but it averages 120
to 130 during the week and can reach 150 during the busier weekends.

Morris said the jail releases non-violent and non-intoxicated
offenders with a court date to keep the population down.

The county expects to break ground on a jail expansion in spring 2014,
Morris said. The addition will include a two-story, 84-bed expansion
and an upgrade to the existing womens bathroom facilities. But the
jail may be in overflow again shortly after the expansion is
completed, he said.

Present danger, future threat

Morris thought the message of the dangers of meth is getting out to
more people. It's not a recreational drug, he said, and people who
abuse it can end up losing everything they have. However, he said a
lot of people are still using meth, since it is easy to make and obtain.

Trouten agreed with Morris, saying most children learn in school that
meth is something they don't want to mess with. Unfortunately, Trouten
said, teenagers are turning to abuse of prescription drugs. But
prescription drugs are hard to obtain because they must be given out
by a doctor and they can't be made at home, as with meth, he said.

In some instances, a user will turn to heroin abuse because the highs
are similar. Heroin is a very addictive and lethal drug. If it is
taken by injection, there is also a risk of transmitted diseases from
dirty needles. Trouten said Elko is seeing a resurgence of heroin
abuse as well.

Short-Staffed

Undersheriff Clair Morris said the sheriff's staff is too small to be
proactive about drug enforcement. All of their actions are reactive.

One deputy works on the four-person Elko Combined Narcotics Unit in
Elko, which is an inter-agency program with city, county and state
officers. Morris would like to have another deputy on the task force
if possible, but the sheriff's officer doesn't have the money for it.

"It's really our only effective way of combating (drugs) in Elko," he
said. "With the resources they do have, they do a good job, and
they're very productive."

Morris said the task force does the best with what they have, but it's
still not enough. They've just reached the tip of the iceberg in his
opinion.

Officers from both departments say drug enforcement is an important
part of their job, but lack of funds mean the problem is far from over.  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D