Published: March 24, 2008 09:27 am            

UNITE has done plenty in Knox County

In a March 10 article, “Barbourville beats back drug problem,” police Det. Mike Broughton asked: “What have we seen UNITE do in Knox County?” Because UNITE was given no opportunity to respond, many of your readers may have mistakenly believed the answer was … very little. Nothing could be further from reality.

Citizens of Barbourville can be justifiably proud of the successes tallied by the city police department’s “Operation Awareness” initiative. The number of felony charges placed, pills confiscated, methamphetamine labs discovered and tip line calls received since June 2007 indicates a strong commitment by law enforcement officers to ridding the streets of drug dealers.

Unfortunately such successes also indicate that Barbourville — and all of Southeastern Kentucky for that matter – is absorbed in this terrible epidemic that destroys lives and exacts a terrible toll on all residents.

As Det. Broughton correctly noted, many communities “sat back too long” and either ignored or discounted the existence of a drug problem. The result, as Det. Broughton stated, was that these communities are “now trying to play catch-up.”

Created in 2003, Operation UNITE brought reinforcements to communities struggling against the onslaught of drugs. Unlike any other organization in the country, UNITE’s campaign strategy has been to attack substance abuse from three equal and powerful fronts: 1) investigate and prosecute illegal drug activity; 2) provide treatment and after-care support to those victimized by addiction; and 3) educate entire communities, with special emphasis on youth, about the dangers associated with drug use.

Although the battle plan differs by each community’s needs, a strong, broad- based coalition of volunteers is at the heart of every effort. In overwhelming numbers citizens are stepping forward and aggressively implementing solutions. That is especially evident in Knox County.

Our law enforcement team has made 167 drug cases with 60 arrests in Knox County since inception. Many of these cases have gone unnoticed because for a long time we were asked not to conduct big roundups when the county did not have a jail. Roundups draw media attention, but do not necessarily reflect undercover investigative activity. According to a state trend analysis by the Kentucky All-Schedule Electronic Reporting (KASPER) system, Knox County is among 14 counties in the Fifth Congressional District experiencing a 9.7 percent decrease in prescribed narcotics since UNITE has joined the fight.

There is much more than law enforcement taking place and changing lives in Knox County. Specifically:

• 41 people have been approved for vouchers to pay for low-income residents to receive either short-term or long-term substance abuse treatment.

• Since the middle of the 2004-05 school year, UNITE has paid for a substance abuse counselor to provide intervention services in the middle and high schools. This counselor, Carl Gallion, has conducted 1,135 individual counseling sessions, 195 group counseling sessions, and made 116 referrals for treatment.

• UNITE provided funding to create an Adult District Drug Court and a Juvenile Drug Court. A Drug Court is a special, volunteer court given the responsibility to handle cases involving drug-addicted, non-violent offenders through an extensive supervision and treatment program. Studies have shown successful completion of the 1-2 year program results in lower recidivism rates at a significantly lower cost to taxpayers than incarceration.

• UNITE has funded Neighbors UNITED, Lifeline after-care, and Court Watch programs.

• On July 10, Knox County will host a regional Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp with former UK basketball star Jeff Sheppard. This is the third year for this program and has proven extremely popular.

Contributions of the Knox County UNITE Coalition, led by County Attorney Charley Dixon, cannot be understated. Citizens have stepped forward by the hundreds to participate in the fight against drugs. Coalition members have implemented the Hooked On Fishing-Not On Drugs® youth mentoring program, annual bass fishing tournament, a faith-based basketball league, in-school anti-drug education initiatives, and took the lead to care for children endangered because they live in drug homes.

What have we seen UNITE do in Knox County? Quite a bit. And even greater things can be accomplished if more citizens become involved. Coalition meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in new District Courtroom of the Knox County Courthouse.

For more information, contact full-time coordinator Marcia Dixon at 606-545-7009 (work), 606-627-4905 (cell), or mdixon@barbourville.com.

Karen Engle,

President & CEO, UNITE

        

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