Boyceville CJCC forum: meth, alcohol and mental health present challenges for Dunn County
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
BOYCEVILLE — The five panelists at the Dunn County Criminal Justice Collaborating Council forum in Boyceville agreed — methamphetamine, alcohol abuse and mental health issues are creating some of the biggest challenges for Dunn County.
The panelists at the July 29 forum at the Boyceville Community Center included Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd; Menomonie Police Chief Eric Atkinson; Dunn County Human Services Director Kris Korpela; Dunn County District Attorney Andrea Nodolf; and Dunn County Circuit Court Judge James Peterson.
Sarah Benedict, CJCC coordinator, acted as the moderator for the forum and asked a series of questions.
About 20 people attended the two-hour forum.
Crime trends
The first question pertained to crime trends in Dunn County over the years.
Sheriff Bygd: Overall crime numbers are down, but felonies are up, and methamphetamine is a problem that has gone from meth labs to a meth user problem that is county-wide. It’s everywhere, and not just Colfax or Boyceville. Property crimes are down because of enforcement and treatment of drug abuse. People steal to be able to buy more meth. But scrap metal prices are low now, and there are fewer break-ins at storage units. A few years ago, break-ins were once a week, but now they are more like once a month or once every two months.
Police Chief Atkinson: Menomonie is similar to Dunn County. Meth is a “scourge.” The labs are not so much of a problem, but the users and dealers are increasing, and it is now involving multiple generations. Domestic abuse is a problem, and the domestic abuse is tied to substance abuse.
Director Korpela: Human services is not involved from the prosecution standpoint. Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) is a “system driver.” If someone reports an impaired driver, the call goes from dispatch, to the officers responding, to an arrest, to an investigation and then the jail and the court system become involved. Wisconsin has a high tolerance for alcohol use. If someone has a third or fourth offense OWI, that person is driving well beyond the legal limit and did not only have two drinks. DHS focuses on education and awareness.
District Attorney Nodolf: [Nodolf was appointed district attorney in Dunn County in 2014.] Seasoned staff at the district attorney’s office say methamphetamine is a huge problem. Since 2007, there has been a 394 percent increase in meth cases, and a 53 percent increase since 2015. Meth affects both defendants and their children. Technology has changed how cases are investigated. With the increased use of Facebook, cell phones, and text messaging, it takes more time to build a case.
Judge Peterson: [Judge Peterson was district attorney in Dunn County for 26 years and has been a judge for five years.] The appearances in court from people being held in the Dunn County jail are “meth, meth and more meth.” The problem with meth started in 1995. The Jay Starkweather case was a high-profile case involving meth. The problem has gotten worse over the years and is affecting the entire legal system. Meth labs were a problem for a while, but now meth is being imported from Mexico in shockingly large amounts. Dunn County is trying to address the problem with treatment court and is working on building a family treatment court.
Addressing the crisis
The next question asked what Dunn County is doing to address the crisis involving methamphetamine, alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
Judge Peterson: The circuit court judges, the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s department are working to address the problems with evidence-based practices such as the treatment court. As an example, learning to wash your hands to reduce infections is an evidence-based practice. The goal of evidence-based practices is to change behavior, provide positive reinforcement and encouragement and to provide opportunities. Sometimes people come back again and again but treatment courts work.
Nodolf: The district attorney’s office is trying to provide more opportunities for defendants. Treatment programs combined with deferred prosecution agreements for low to medium risk offenders can help them to avoid jail and a criminal record. Treatment court can be someone’s last chance to avoid prison. These are options we did not have years ago. It is too early to say how the alternatives will succeed in the long-term, but they are proving to be successful in the short term.
Korpela: DHS and the CJCC are revitalizing the “drug endangered children” program to help in dealing with children caught up with drug use. There was a situation in another county where law enforcement threw a flash-bang into a living room where a child was playing in a playpen. That kind of trauma does not go away. The system is now becoming more trauma-informed. We are working together in a way that has not been done before, and we are seeing some positive results.
Atkinson: There is an outstanding partnership between DHS and law enforcement for drug endangered children. Law enforcement officers are still looking for drugs, but there have been changes in the past three to five years. Drug abusers are often self-medicating. Law enforcement is now learning what resources are available and how to talk to people in crisis and to recognize what is the real cause of the crime. The issue of drug abuse is often related to mental health, and taking people to jail is not solving the problem. An evidence-based approach will have a positive impact on what is the “true cause.”
Bygd: It is a double-edge sword for law enforcement. Most meth users do not turn themselves in and say they need treatment. The sheriff’s department and the Menomonie Police Department drug officers are taking people to jail daily. The Dunn County jail has changed tremendously in the last 25 years. Today the jail is a 156-bed facility that has 85 to 100 inmates daily. Dunn County is making progress in helping inmates become better citizens and to get out of jail and be successful.
Future plans
The next question focused on future plans to address drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
Bygd: The sheriff’s department will continue to have strong enforcement regarding methamphetamine, will have continued programs for inmates and will focus on community education. An officer has recently been certified, and the sheriff’s department is planning to bring back the D.A.R.E. [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] program for fifth and seventh graders, and the program will begin again in the fall.
Atkinson: MPD has applied for grants to help implement evidence-based programs in schools. The department plans to work with kids and adults using different diversion programs. Research has shown that treatment programs and court-ordered family intervention works whether it is “forced or voluntary.” The treatment has the same effectiveness. MPD is working on providing training for officers when they have contact with people in crisis who have mental health issues, which has saved lives in a situation where in the past, an officer would have used deadly force.
Korpela: If someone says he or she is going to harm themselves, can that person be safely contained? Someone in active crisis can be dangerous for law enforcement. DHS has personnel who can do a preliminary assessment, but starting in August, DHS also will have mobile technology to conduct a preliminary assessment to assist law enforcement. A tablet or a phone with Skype will allow the crisis call center to do an assessment remotely. The remote assessment will be a better use of law enforcement’s time and will be a better response for someone in crisis. DHS also provides mental health services for the jail. When mental health services are available, the jail sees a decrease in acting out behavior and there is less time spent on suicide watches. The goal is to have people come out of jail able to function, not to come out worse than when they went in.
Nodolf: Jail is appropriate in certain cases, but not necessarily for drug users who are not delivering drugs. Dunn County will be working on expanding a pre-charge diversion program for low-risk first-time offenders who perhaps were engaged in disorderly conduct or were in possession of marijuana. If the person has already been in the system or if there are victims, then that person is not eligible for pre-charge diversion. The district attorney’s office should have six prosecutors but only has three, so it helps to be “smart on crime.” Probation is often “easier” than the treatment options. The question becomes — is the person ready for change?
Judge Peterson: Dunn County and the CJCC are working on changing the culture. All areas of the system need to be creative, to communicate and to work together. People are complicated and nuanced, and one goal is to use more motivational interview techniques in treatment court. How a judge treats people has an effect on the entire system. It is important to treat people decently, from law enforcement, to prosecutors, to judges, to corrections. It is important how you treat people. It is important to care.
Drug raids
In the second half of the forum, audience members were given an opportunity to ask questions.
One of the questions involved drug raids.
Atkinson: MPD does intervention to help overcome hurdles to treatment before embarking on a drug raid. Law enforcement is supposed to be part of preventing crime. The whole point is to create a safer community. The goal is to get everyone home alive: the user, law enforcement and the neighbors.
Bygd: Drug raids are dangerous. Deputies are now more likely to take someone in custody during a traffic stop. The sheriff’s department is trying to avoid drug raids.
How to help?
Another question from the audience asked how citizens can help.
Bygd: Law enforcement can spot meth users right away, but knowing the signs can be more difficult for ordinary citizens. One thing people can look for is short-term traffic to a particular residence. Are there five different cars stopping in a day, staying for a short time and then leaving? Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for short-term traffic. Are there teenagers who might have friends stopping to visit? [Bygd said sometimes the friends of his teenaged daughters create quite a bit of short-term traffic at his house.] Perhaps you have a neighbor who is unemployed, and there are 10 cars stopping in every day, staying a short time and leaving, and there is no obvious reason. That might be an indication of someone who is selling drugs.
Atkinson: Watch for changes in behavior. Does the person have mood swings? Are the shades drawn over the windows or has paper been put over the windows recently? Have cameras been installed? Not just one or two cameras but cameras everywhere on the property. Do they haul the garbage away themselves instead of leaving it at the curb? Anything out of the ordinary could be a clue that there is drug trafficking. And do not think you are “bothering” the police by calling. That’s why you pay taxes. We need you to help us. Crime prevention is everybody’s business.
Korpela: Take an interest in the people and the children around you. Be attentive. Make the call. Make the report. If it doesn’t make sense, then call. And there is always a need for volunteers to help in the jail or in other capacities.
Bygd: The jail has many volunteers. Everyone is welcome. There is a process for being approved to volunteer at the jail. Contact the jail program coordinator, Heather Pyka. People can also do “ride alongs” with deputies to see what we see. The ride-alongs give the public a better perspective.
Atkinson: The quick response team will be looking for volunteers to check back with people to see how they are doing. Citizens can also do “ride alongs” with police officers. And the MPD is offering another citizens’ police academy this fall. There are also other volunteer opportunities with the Menomonie Police Department.
Judge Peterson: You can attend the CJCC meetings. [The CJCC meetings are publicly posted meetings and are open to the public.] CJCC is “a great place to get involved.” People can also attend the treatment court sessions at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday mornings. More mentors are needed to be life coaches. People may also be interested in the CJCC’s work groups. Everyone is invited to come to the CJCC meetings to observe and/or to get involved.
Closing remarks
Bygd: Society is changing. Most of us grew up in a time of “no participation trophies.” When it comes to the jail, I run the largest mental health facility in this county. If there are 90 inmates, then probably more than 60 of them have mental health issues. OWIs from alcohol use are down, but there is a 25 percent increase in OWIs from restricted, controlled substances, such as methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.
Atkinson: Law enforcement is working on changing gears and becoming more educated. There will always be bad guys to arrest, but law enforcement must also serve the public to help avoid future crime.
Korpela: The public forums are intended to “get the word out” about what Dunn County is doing. Hundreds of thousands of grant dollars have come to Dunn County to create a safer community.
Nodolf: OWI homicides are the hardest to deal with and are heartbreaking to prosecute. The sexual assault of children and drug endangered children are also a large concern in Dunn County. The focus will continue to be on treatment and on holding people accountable.
Judge Peterson: The focus must be on core values — public safety, fairness, individual liberty, respect for the rights and needs of the victims of crime, discretion and appreciation for differences.
