In one of those reports I like to call a light-on-our-society matter, the Associated Press and The Christian Science Monitor recently reported that about one in 37 U.S. adults was incarcerated at the end of 2001, or had been imprisoned sometime in their adult past. That frightening, maddening and saddening statistic came from a report released by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics this month. These numbers do not count those who have done jail time for DUI or shoplifting, or misdemeanor domestic violence, the three crimes a reporter sees most often while covering courts in Kitsap County. [continues 510 words]
Kitsap County law enforcement officials are cautiously cheered by recent battles in the war on methamphetamine use. Meth, or "crank," is a highly addictive drug which, when shot in the veins, quickly rots users' teeth, scabs their skin, and works as an accelerated balding device. Those are only side effects. Meth users commit many types of crime to get their drug of choice. "Meth use drives our other crimes, especially violent crimes," Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer said. Recent statistics seem to suggest the state and Kitsap County are, if not winning the war, starting to win several battles. [continues 532 words]
Despite Kaua'i's physical beauty, the island is populated by people, and people here have problems like people everywhere else. And when they have troubles, some people try and take the edge off with narcotics. The biggest problem substance on Kaua'i is ice (crystal methamphetamine) according to cops and prosecutors. "Ice is all over the place," Chief Deputy Prosecutor Craig De Costa said Wednesday. "Ice is easy to make, highly addictive and (provides) an intense high. There are people on ice who believe the drug gives them an energy boost. They think they can handle it, but that's not true," De Costa added. [continues 713 words]
The Coast Guard is proud of its history of being America's police force on the water for more than 200 years. Recently, those duties have included fighting the importation of illegal drugs into Hawai"i. But although drug interdiction is still a primary component of the Coast Guard's role, recent federal belt-tightening is expected to cause some problems in enforcement. "Our budget has been cut recently 15 to 30 percent in operations, and that will affect those long-range patrols. We've scaled back recently, and that's not helping our cause," said Chief Gary Openshaw, a Coast Guard spokesman on Oahu. [continues 204 words]
