2007 Lane County Federal Priorities

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Fec~era~ Priorities 2007 Pubic Safety ~ fustice Methamphetamine Abatement Initiative Project in Lane County Request Lane County requests $1.25 million to support the law enforcement and drug treatment elements of a comprehensive, multi-year, community-based initiative to combat the production, distribution, and abuse of methamphetamine in our region. The funds will complement new resources for investigative analysis and training capacity provided in fiscal year 2006. Background The Lane County Sheriffs Office (LCSO) received $200,000 last year through the COPS Methamphetamine Grant. This grant provides improved training and access to data about meth use in the county in order to enhance the capacity of the community's meth enforcement efforts and to determine correlation to other crime. As resources in county government dwindle, so do the efforts to combat methamphetamine. The .county disbanded its Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team due to funding constraints. However, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant enabled- one narcotics detective to receive. training to focus more effectively on meth-related public safety issues. The need to battle the scourge of methamphetamine in Lane County is more critical than ever. The Lane County District Attorney's Office currently receives more than 2,500 new felony drug cases each year, approximately 90 percent of which are meth-related cases. After years of widespread meth use, meth-related elements of the crime rate in Lane County are among the worst in the nation, and the drug abuse arrest rate is almost twice the national average. This is taking a severe toll on families and children. According to the Oregon Department of Human Services Child Welfare, almost all terminations of parental rights in 2003 were attributable to meth abuse.- Lane County adopted a comprehensive methamphetamine plan in 2006 that identifies priority steps necessary to turn the tide on the problem. All departments in Lane County that are impacted by methamphetamine (Children & Families, District Attorney, Health & Human Services, Public Works, Sheriff's Office, and Youth Services) worked to bring together proven strategies for dealing with this problem. Some of the plan's strategies are being pursued now with the COPS grant; others will require additional funds for implementation. The goal is to dramatically reduce or eliminate the manufacture, distribution, and use of meth in Lane County, thereby preventing great harm to children, adults, and families in our community. The plan includes six critical components. Two are highlighted for this request: Treatment and Supervision: Expand availability of research-based drug treatment for juveniles and adults (residential and outpatient), as well as effective community supervision. 2. Enforcement: Create an interagency drug team; expand detectives, prosecution, and incarceration capacity. Identify and respond to meth-caused problems impacting corrections that cause an increase in recidivism. 31