DRUG PROBLEM IGNORED

There is a drug problem in Azle, Texas.

And not enough is being done by parents and community leaders to
combat apathy.

Those were two of the key points made by Azle Police Lt. Greg
Arrington during a presentation he made to the Azle Area Chamber of
Commerce last week.

Arrington used part of the program to talk about Shattered Dreams, a
program sponsored by the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission to show
students, firsthand, what underage driving can do to families.

Participants assume the role of a teenager that has lost their life
as a result of driving under the influence. As Arrington put it,
it's sobering and dramatic and "as real as it gets without actually dying."

A stoic grim reaper stands by to take each one of the fatal crash
victims out of the classroom and into a waiting hearse.

Handcuffed, the student charged with DWI goes to jail -- but not
before witnessing the cries of forlorn parents who have lost their
child to the tragedy.

Sixty students and 125 adults, including police officers,
firefighters and even PHI air ambulance operators participated in
the event which cost the city about $6,300 in Azle Crime Control
Prevention District money.

Yet, with all the work and manpower put into the program, the
message seems to be falling on a lot of deaf ears, Arrington said.

Less than three weeks after Shattered Dreams, over 60 Azle High
School students were issued minor in possession citations. The
students had attended three separate alcohol related parties.

Two of those students were key players in Arrington's Shattered
Dreams program.

One of those parties took place all the way out in Jacksboro County.

Word has it that at least 60 people -- most students from Azle --
attended the April 7 party. The Jack County Sheriff's Department
issued several tickets for alcohol possession by minors.

Reports coming into the Azle News stated that as many as 41
citations were issued.

The thing that galls Arrington the most is that some Azle parents
knew about the party before it occurred. In fact, he soon learned
that a caravan of cars headed out to the party.

No one called Azle police to inform them.

And it almost ended tragically.

Four teens who had been at the party were seriously injured while
driving home from the party. The driver had fallen asleep at the
wheel. Some of the students suffered broken bones, but escaped with
their lives.

Arrington said that, when it comes to alcohol and drug stats, Azle
is in pretty bad shape.

That's "good" news for a man trying to get his point across. "I hope
to stir your emotions enough that you're ready to do something about
the problem," he said.

According to the most recent survey, taken in 2004, Azle students
are the most likely in Tarrant County to have engaged in binge
drinking more than once in a month. Binge drinking has been defined
as five or more drinks on one occasion.

Twenty percent of Azle teens reported binge drinking multiple times
in the month prior to the survey.

In fact, 37.9 percent said they had at least one drink during the
month. Lake Worth High School came in first with a percentage of 38.3 percent.

Azle students are second in the area, statistically -- a little over
13 percent -- when it comes to marijuana use.

Yet, quite possibly the most chilling statistic deals with where the
underage alcohol/drug use is taking place.

According to a case summary taken between Aug. 1, 2006 and May 31,
2007, 22 percent of alcohol/drug cases investigated by Azle police
occurred on school property -- while school was in session.

Arrington said that some of the local businesses aren't making it
any easier, either.

Each time the police department sends out an undercover inspector,
he or she always finds at least one local store willing to sell them alcohol.

"We can't keep them from selling alcohol to our kids," Arrington
said. "Never -- not one time -- have we come back with a (perfect) record."

The Azle Police Department is doing all it can to increase the
pressure on drug/alcohol use, he said. In fact, Azle officers are
making more arrests than ever, then transferring the offenders into
the local Juvenile Detention Center.

The city's municipal court system is also doing its part to work
with the police department's Success With Every Azle Teen (SWEAT)
program. The program allows minors to "work off" minor infractions
instead of having to pay heavy fines.

Municipal Judge Doug Hudman, who works with SWEAT kids, has seen his
teen caseload increase to the point where he had become concerned.
Many of the minor traffic violation citations are being replaced by
more serious "Class C" charges.

"We are in danger or losing an entire generation," Hudman said.

Arrington said that SWEAT and the 6th-grade-oriented DARE program
are just tools in the fight against underage alcohol/drug use.

"It's time for this community to come together and do something
about this problem," he said. "It's not a police problem, it's a
community problem -- and it's going to get worse if we don't do
something about it."

He challenged the chamber -- and the community in general -- to come
up with solutions of their own.

Finding out who their kid's friends are and where the party is makes
for a good start, he said.

"A passive response is not going to work," he said. "If you know of
something, I want you to call me. That's what we're here for."