18 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2018
By LAURA CURRAN
Nassau County Executive
When people think of the suburbs
they don’t necessarily imagine a
drug epidemic. But Nassau County
police, first responders, nurses,
doctors, social workers, educators,
and, above all, children and families,
are battling it out with a drug that
turns neighbor into user, user into
addict, and addict into criminal.
Nothing about this epidemic is
normal, nothing about it is fair.
Drugs don’t fight fair. So we have to
fight smart.
Our multifaceted response –
incorporating enforcement, awareness,
education, diversion, and treatment –
is equal parts grit and compassion.
Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder
and his team are using real-time
reporting to identify clusters of
major felonies associated with drug
addicts (such as breaking into cars to
scrounge for money or stuff to sell),
and overlaying that information
with clusters of overdoses. When
these clusters overlap, we know
we have a problem, and law
enforcement zeroes in.
This data-driven approach is
producing results. Drug overdoses are
down in Nassau, when we compare
year-to-date statistics with last year.
As this goes to print, we have already
targeted two communities. I joined
Commissioner Ryder and District
Attorney Madeline Singas to
announce 78 drug-related arrests in
East Meadow. Earlier, we announced
59 heroin and opioid-related
arrests in Massapequa, including
the arrest of four alleged dealers.
By systematically identifying and
concentrating on hotspots, we are
better able to remove dealers from
the streets and divert users to the
help they desperately need.
We plan to roll out more operations
in more communities in the coming
weeks.
But we cannot arrest ourselves out
of this crisis. Dealers should, and
will, face serious penalties. Users
and addicts, however, can get an
opportunity to enter into treatment.
This effort is being led by our DA
and police commissioner, and I stand
ready to support them in any way
I can, including directing the new
head of the county’s behavioral health
department to pursue state and federal
funding to increase treatment options.
Government cannot fight this alone.
We are working closely with our
nonprofits and drug-treatment
providers. And we are actively seeking
the public’s help. Along with expanding
the police department’s social media
presence to target a younger audience
(checkout #MugShotMonday), we
are holding town hall meetings in
communities that have a higher
incidence of overdoses. We bring in
law enforcement, first responders, and
treatment providers to talk about what
the danger is, what to look out for, and
how our communities can be part of
the solution.
When we arm ourselves with the
right information, hold dealers
accountable, and help those suffering
with addiction, we can win this fight.
POINT OF VIEW
DRUGS DON’T FIGHT FAIR:
WE CAN FIGHT SMART