News (Media Awareness Project) - US KS: Meth Users Get Warning From Sheriff on TV |
| Title: | US KS: Meth Users Get Warning From Sheriff on TV |
| Published On: | 2003-07-04 |
| Source: | Joplin Globe, The (MO) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-20 02:28:49 |
METH USERS GET WARNING FROM SHERIFF ON TV
COLUMBUS, Kan. - An advertisement airing on a local television station
begins with the words "Methamphetamine can open doors."
It shows a needle piercing a vein. The next scene shows two men
sitting at a dining-room table with children. Then comes a voice-over,
"Let's hope it's not yours," as gung-ho police storm into the house,
arrest the men and remove the children.
The final scene encourages viewers to call Cherokee County Sheriff Bob
Creech or local police if they suspect methamphetamine use in their
neighborhoods.
Creech said the television ad was paid for with part of a $222,000
grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help eliminate meth use
in the county. The grant allocated $24,000 for public awareness, which
includes the ad. Creech said the Justice Department approved the script.
"We had to give them an outline and a plan of what we wanted to do,"
Creech said.
He said his department will also use $8,000 to produce an educational
video to give to county schools.
"We want to raise public awareness that drugs are a problem," Creech
said.
He said he also hopes people on methamphetamine who see the piece
might realize the likelihood of getting caught and decide to seek help.
The children were placed in the scene to show that meth use isn't a
victimless crime and that children are often the innocent victims of
their parents' addiction, Creech said.
The ad is airing on KOAM-TV, and the station's production crew shot
the piece. Creech said it is scheduled to run through September at
different times of day.
Creech said he received a call this week from a resident outside of
Cherokee County who had seen the ad. The man told Creech he was
getting no response from local police about his suspicions about
methamphetamine use in his neighborhood. Creech reported the man's
information to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
He said the call is proof that the announcement is reaching people. "I
think it's serving the purpose we intended," Creech said. "It may
change some people's direction."
COLUMBUS, Kan. - An advertisement airing on a local television station
begins with the words "Methamphetamine can open doors."
It shows a needle piercing a vein. The next scene shows two men
sitting at a dining-room table with children. Then comes a voice-over,
"Let's hope it's not yours," as gung-ho police storm into the house,
arrest the men and remove the children.
The final scene encourages viewers to call Cherokee County Sheriff Bob
Creech or local police if they suspect methamphetamine use in their
neighborhoods.
Creech said the television ad was paid for with part of a $222,000
grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to help eliminate meth use
in the county. The grant allocated $24,000 for public awareness, which
includes the ad. Creech said the Justice Department approved the script.
"We had to give them an outline and a plan of what we wanted to do,"
Creech said.
He said his department will also use $8,000 to produce an educational
video to give to county schools.
"We want to raise public awareness that drugs are a problem," Creech
said.
He said he also hopes people on methamphetamine who see the piece
might realize the likelihood of getting caught and decide to seek help.
The children were placed in the scene to show that meth use isn't a
victimless crime and that children are often the innocent victims of
their parents' addiction, Creech said.
The ad is airing on KOAM-TV, and the station's production crew shot
the piece. Creech said it is scheduled to run through September at
different times of day.
Creech said he received a call this week from a resident outside of
Cherokee County who had seen the ad. The man told Creech he was
getting no response from local police about his suspicions about
methamphetamine use in his neighborhood. Creech reported the man's
information to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
He said the call is proof that the announcement is reaching people. "I
think it's serving the purpose we intended," Creech said. "It may
change some people's direction."
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