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| 9 March 2002 - North County Times Methamphetamine Task Force cites results VISTA – A three-year effort against methamphetamine use in the city has had positive results, a leader in the effort told members of the Vista Partners Project on Friday. The project is a coalition of representatives from law enforcement, social services, schools, businesses and other agencies formed under the auspices of the San Diego County Methamphetamine Task Force to combat the drug's presence in Vista. "We've seen a drop in the number of crimes during this time," project coordinator Linda Bridgeman-Smith said at a wrap-up meeting attended by 50 people at Vista City Hall. The pilot program has completed its initial three-year effort, funded by a $325,000 federal grant that paid for three full-time staff members. Assistant City Manager Rick Dudley said Vista has $130,000 in grant money available and wants to continue the program at some level. "We feel the program has done great things and still has the potential to do great things," Dudley said. According to figures provided Friday by the task force, methamphetamine arrests in Vista dropped from 445 in 1997 to 148 in 2001, a decline of 52 percent. In the same period, countywide arrests went from 8,642 to 6,840, a 21-percent decline. "Vista had the largest drop in crime," Bridgeman-Smith said. "We're very proud of it." During the same period, the number of people from Vista admitted to hospitals because of methamphetamine use increased 36 percent, from 168 to 229, while countywide admissions increased 46 percent, from 3,819 to 5,578. A 2001 task force report said that 28 percent of adults arrested and jailed in the county tested positive for methamphetamine. Since 1997, crime in Vista declined by 39 percent, compared to the countywide decline of 26 percent. Task force member Carolyn Simpson said that factors in addition to the Vista Partners Project could have contributed to the decline. A fuller evaluation of the results will be done in coming weeks, Bridgeman-Smith said. The Vista Partners Project was the first and only such program done by the 5-year-old county task force, Bridgeman-Smith said. The project used a variety of techniques, she said. Among the methods were having Sheriff's deputies make follow-up house calls on people arrested for methamphetamine. Store owners were educated about restrictions on the sale of cough products containing ephedrine, which is used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The program, which was conceived by the task force, was originally open to participation among the region's cities. Vista was the only city to step forward to participate, Bridgeman-Smith said. "One of our biggest concerns was over image," Dudley said. "Would doing this program in Vista imply that we had a bigger problems than anyone else? But we've had some very positive results." |
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