TASK FORCE LEADERS DISCUSS PLAN OF ATTACK

FARMINGTON -- During the first day of the San Juan Safe Communities
Initiative Summit, local task force representatives discussed plans
for a united front against a growing methamphetamine epidemic.

From 10 a.m. until noon Wednesday at the Farmington Civic Center,
six speakers talked about the various elements that comprise a
community effort to decrease meth use and sales. The presentations
focused on five separate task forces focused on gangs, prevention,
intervention, law enforcement and legislative developments.

All presenters agreed the issue is one that requires a long-term
commitment from many community players, not just law enforcement officials.

Farmington City Councilor Dan Darnell said the United States makes up
six percent of the world's population, yet its citizens consume 60
percent of the world's drugs.

Locally, methamphetamine is the root of a majority of all violent and
property crimes, according to San Juan County Sheriff Bob Melton.

Most of the methamphetamine coming into San Juan County is provided
by Mexican drug cartels with deeply embedded community contacts, Darnell said.

For nearly 40 years, the county addressed the escalating drug problem
by heavily funding suppression efforts.

"We thought we could arrest our way out of the problem," said
Darnell, a former Farmington police officer.

In recent years, community members recognized the need for a better
plan of attack, providing funds for several organizations to enhance
suppression, intervention, treatment and enforcement options, he said.

District Attorney Lyndy Bennett discussed three legislative proposals
to further prevent methamphetamine use and sales within the community.

Bennett noted that although the state addressed methamphetamine
concerns during the January legislative session, there is still room
for improvement.

The first proposal calls for a statute that would make it illegal for
people to be under the influence of controlled substances, Bennett said.

In New Mexico, a person cannot be arrested merely for being a drug
addict, he said. Creating such a law would give police an additional
tool to address the meth problem by allowing officers to take action
before other drug-associated crimes are committed.

The second proposal calls for mandatory screening and reporting of
methamphetamine use.

District AdvertisementJudge John Dean, who talked about judicial
intervention in methamphetamine cases, said it is a difficult task to
sentence people.

"What I would like to see is standardized, independent assessment,"
he said. "It's powerful stuff to have someone who doesn't know you
tell you something about yourself."

He added that there is a continual need for options because New
Mexico has a deficient supply of secure treatment facilities.

"A little jailhouse therapy is where it should start," he said.

Bennett also discussed a third proposal that would "put embezzlement
charges on the same legal plane as other theft crimes."

Under state statute, embezzlement of small dollar amounts cannot be
aggregated into a greater felony charge, he said. This allows a drug
addict or user to take small amounts to fuel their vice and avoid
felony charges.

"Several recent cases have resulted in thousands of dollars of loss
to local businesses and non-profit organizations without significant
penalty to the offender," states a July letter from San Juan Safe
Communities Initiative to the Legislature.

By allowing smaller embezzlement charges to be aggregated into a
larger felony charge, the user or addict has more available options
through the judicial system if methamphetamine is the underlying
cause of the charge.

Regardless of potential litigation changes, all speakers agreed the
community must move forward with a unified understanding to
effectively address the issue of drug abuse.

The summit continues today at the Farmington Civic Center. Keynote
speakers include New Mexico Drug Czar Herman Silva and CYFD Community
Service Manager Tami Spellbring, who are scheduled to address
attendees at 9 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by
opening remarks from the mayors of Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec
at 8:30 a.m. The afternoon session begins at 1 p.m., followed by a
summit wrap-up at 1:30 p.m.