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Stating Their Case • The Saginaw County Sheriff Candidate Forum


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https://review-mag.com/article/stating-their-case-the-saginaw-county-sheriff-candidate-forum

 

Review: Well over a trillion dollars has been spent waging the War On Drugs; and it purportedly costs upwards of $31,000 to house an inmate each year. Prior to the Michigan Medical Marijuana initiative, 70% of the cases in our criminal system were devoted to drug-oriented matters & prosecutions, yet now our region is experiencing a heroin epidemic. What are your thoughts about the ‘War on Drugs’?

 

Karl: The War on Drugs is, and should be fought. The enforcement of these drug crimes is an ever evolving effort. As I stated previously, smarter policing and more effective enforcement and sentencing must constantly be looked at. The use of G.P.S. Tethering, wide use of Drug Courts, effective Treatment Centers and Drug Prevention Initiatives, all play an invaluable part in preventing drug abuse and its well documented effect on the individuals and our society. We can’t afford to give up on those damaged by the illegal drug trade. When we utilize our resources wisely, the total cost of incarceration will be manageable. I am a proud AMERICAN! And Americans don’t give up! We always find a way!

 

Booker: The War on Drugs is necessary to keep our citizens safe. I believe that the efforts from the U.S. Government to stop the drugs from entering the United States will never and end and they shouldn’t. Locally in my 27 years of law enforcement in Saginaw County I have noticed that drugs are like fashions. If you wait long enough it will come right back. Heroin was the preferred drug when I first became a cop in 1985. Now heroin is back again. The addiction and what a drug user will do to get drugs raises the crime rate and jail bed county. I believe our lawmakers must find additional funding for the treatment of the person addicted, which in turn will lower the crime rate. The police job is to serve and protect citizens from person who break the law. The issue of why the person committed the crime and what their mental capacity was during the crime doesn’t come into play when the handcuffs come out.

 

Gutzwller: It is well known that heroin, along with several opiate related drugs, have taken hold of individuals across all walks of life, ruined countless families and caused devastating health issues. I truly believe that through proactive education and enforcement we can put a dent in this problem. In addition, I have devoted years into training law enforcement and corrections officers in synthetic drug use.

 

Additionally, I believe it is vital for law enforcement officers to carry “Narcan” (naloxone) which immediately counteracts the effects of opiates when an overdose has occurred. The current Saginaw County Sheriff Department does not have Narcan available to officers and the officers are not trained in its use. This is unacceptable.

 

The current Sheriff eliminated the K-9 Unit. These dogs can detect incoming narcotics that humans are unable to identify. Upon taking office, I will reintroduce the K-9 Unit.

 

Federspiel: The War On Drugs is a term used to describe the United States' effort to label "dangerous" drugs and to formulate a strategic plan to eradicate crops and disrupt international drug traffic into the U.S. Much like the original Prohibition of alcohol was ineffective in the 1920's, certain laws prohibiting drug use have also failed. We must look to the business model of supply and demand. Those who are addicted to illegal drugs, and quite frankly even some legally prescribed drugs, must be treated for their addiction. When demand is high, enforcement becomes expensive and dangerous to both the citizenry and law enforcement officials. Since the early 1970's and the Nixon White House, the War On Drugs has shown very little, if any, reduction in the demand for drugs. With insignificant data to support continuance of the War on Drugs, we must look to the addiction side of the matter. Much like the campaign to outlaw cigarette smoking to minors had very little success over 50 years in stopping youth under the age of 18 from getting, and smoking, cigarettes, so too has the War On Drugs been unable to stop many people from obtaining and using illegal drugs outside of arrest and incarceration. The long term goal should be for a strategic anti-drug/anti-smoking educational campaign targeting youth.

 

The recently released Surgeon General’s report, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults, concluded that adequately funded anti-tobacco media campaigns reduce tobacco use among youth, and that there is a dose-response relationship between exposure to anti-smoking media messages and reduced youth smoking, i.e., the greater the exposure the less likely youth are to smoke. The report also found that teens respond most to ads that evoke strong negative emotions such as those that demonstrate how smoking and secondhand smoke harm health. Further, ads designed for adults can also reduce smoking among young people. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (www.tobaccofreekids.org) recently released a Surgeon General study that stated, "The scientific evidence is substantial and clear: public education campaigns reduce the number of youth who start smoking, increase the number of smokers who quit, and make tobacco industry marketing less effective, saving lives and health care dollars. The 2012 Report of the Surgeon General, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults, concluded specifically and unequivocally: mass media campaigns “prevent the initiation of tobacco use and reduce its prevalence among youth.”1 The recently released 2014 Surgeon General’s Report, The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress, affirms this conclusion and recommends, among other actions, “high impact national media campaigns…at a high frequency level and exposure for 12 months a year for a decade or more.”

 

In order to change the way we look at illegal drug use, I believe that we must first examine the core issues that lead to the use of illegal drugs. Education and treatment options should be a priority for our State and Federal Legislators. Mental Health detection and treatment, as well as addiction detection and treatment, should be issues that are prioritized at the legislative level in our country. As a Law Enforcement Executive, I must follow the laws as they are written. Law enforcement is exactly that: enforcement of the laws. With strong evidence to support public education campaigns, I believe that it is time to look at ways to prevent the initiation of illegal drug use among our youth and young adults. It will take time and effort, but in the absence of data to support any positive effects from the War On Drugs, it may be time to change direction.

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