SOLVING CITY'S DRUG PROBLEM TAKES EFFORT

KINGMAN - The Kingman area has a drug problem and too little is being done
to stop drug use or help the victims and their families.

That is the consensus of users, parents, law enforcement agencies, social
agencies, treatment groups and employers contacted by Miner reporters this
week. Methamphetamines, marijuana and alcohol are the major drugs in
Kingman, with many others available.

Agencies that work with law enforcement, the courts and treatment
facilities are unanimous about the need for better treatment.

"We need local residential facilities for detox and treatment,"
representatives of medical, mental health, social service and shelter
agencies said in a Thursday meeting.

Users and families interviewed said Kingman has a huge gap between the need
for treatment and the availability of facilities for timely and affordable
help.

Community acceptance that the problem exists and is the first step toward a
solution, they said.

"I had no idea what was happening or how to know my son was using drugs
when it all started," a local mother said.

After years of struggle with a happy ending, she wants to help the
community resolve the local drug problem.

Kingman Police Chief Bob DeVries put a four-officer flex team on the street
for six weeks to attack the problem at the street level. Kingman residents
attending the first two "Coffee with the Cops" programs said drugs are
easily available and creating additional problems.

"Law enforcement alone is not enough," DeVries said. "It is a community
social problem that needs everyone involved."

DeVries said drug-related arrests in Kingman have increased 35.7 percent in
the first six months of 2004 as compared to the first six months of 2003.

The most recent figures available from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office
show their drug-related arrests increased 88 percent from 2002 to 2003 in
the area surrounding Kingman, which includes North Kingman and Golden Valley.

The large increase is primarily due to saturation sweeps the sheriff's
office began in April 2003, Sheriff Tom Sheahan said.

The sweeps targeted specific areas of the county, as deputies searched for
those with outstanding misdemeanor and felony warrants.

"We're finding drugs in the house or car," Sheahan said.

The idea for the saturation sweeps came from conversations with residents
who wanted "extra patrol." Sheahan met with staff and together they
developed the program, which is continuing.

"When people see these (MCSO) cars, it tends to keep the crime down," he said.

"It becomes an element of surprise" because county residents don't know
what neighborhood is going to be targeted next.

No one can really compare Kingman's drug use with other communities.

But in 1996-97, approximately one-third of the methamphetamine laboratory
busts in Arizona were in Mohave County, said MAGNET Sgt. Emmit Sturgill.

He said the local "meth lab" situation is better now because the drugs are
being manufactured in Mexico and imported into the southwestern U.S.

Most law enforcement officers say Kingman's situation is no better and no
worse than similar small, rural communities.

Yet, national statistics indicate a net increase in drug use by juveniles
in age groups from 12 to 17 was up 49 percent between 1992 and 2001. These
are the latest statistics available from federal sources.

Sheahan said a three-pronged program is needed to reduce drug use and the
legal, business and social problems that follow.

"It takes education, strict law enforcement and adequate treatment
programs," he said.

Funding for education has been reduced and is available primarily in sixth
grade for 13 weeks.

Sheahan's staff covers 134 schools with a single officer in the Drug
Awareness and Resistance Education program.

National research indicates that more is required than a one-time education
program.

Kingman School Resource Officers work with students in city public schools.
Only a part of their time is drug education, however.

State legislation has mandated treatment, but the resources to provide
treatment do not meet the need, probation officers said.

The users and families interviewed underlined the scarce resources for
treatment.

The nearest residential treatment is in Flagstaff, and the $7,500 per month
cost for a three month or longer stay is out of reach for many.

Sheahan said a separate court for drug users would free up the crowded
courts for other cases. A drug court that would give judges wide authority
to emphasize treatment and the resources to follow up is needed, Sheahan said.

He wants juveniles to have more treatment options and options other than
jail time.

The drug issue goes far beyond youth offenders both locally and nationally.

The statistics show the peak age for treatment is 40 for both men and women.

Local employers deal with drugs in the workplace, an issue that has safety
and productivity ramifications.

The Workforce Development Committee of the Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce
has helped the employers at the Kingman Airport Industrial Park develop a
drug-free workplace.

Several employers have testing and support programs to assist employees.

Suzanne Clark, director of Kingman Aid to Abused People, was one of several
agency heads that said more cooperation between agencies is needed.

"We are not all on the same page," Sheahan said.

Drugs impact everyone in Kingman.

The costs are human, financial and social.

The community, judging from the comments to DeVries at the "Coffee with the
Cops" sessions, recognizes the need for a solution.

Law enforcement and schools can do only so much, DeVries said.

Examples of successful community efforts are outlined on the Internet. Much
information and research is available.

Each program began with recognition of the problem.