Drug Investigations Expand Amid A Changed Social Climate

By Andrew Gorosko

Police say recently heightened public awareness and concern about drug abuse by local youths has generated more useful tips for them about illicit drug activity, helping them investigate and pursue criminal charges against local drug offenders.

Such intelligence gleaned from the general public has fueled several investigations that have resulted in criminal charges against offenders, according to police.

About six months ago, as the public mood appeared to shift to favor heightened drug law enforcement, police redoubled their efforts in pursuing drug arrests, Police Chief Michael Kehoe said this week.

“We decided we were going to do something about it, more than we normally do,” the police chief said.

Police investigations involving intelligence work, surveillance, undercover operations, and the use of informants have come to fruition in a series of recent drug arrests, he said. By their nature, drug investigations are long-term efforts, often requiring months of clandestine activity before arrests are made, he said. “There are a lot of dynamics to drug investigations,” he said.

Chief Kehoe said the heightened local concern about drug abuse resulted in him having many conversations with parents about the problem.

It is unclear whether there has been more drug activity in town recently, or whether existing drug activity simply has become more obvious to people as a result of their heightened awareness of the problem, the police chief said. It is hard to know the exact level of drug activity due to its surreptitious nature, he said.

Like other towns, Newtown has a “drug subculture” among whose members drug abuse is a way of life, he said. People who do not cross paths with members of such groups often simply are unaware of that subculture, he said.

“It became more obvious. It became a public issue,” Chief Kehoe said.

“I don’t think it’s any different [here] than any other community in Connecticut. I think we’re willing to put it out in the open and deal with it,” he said.

The police chief said he does not believe that the relative affluence of some families in Newtown makes it any more likely that Newtown youth are more inclined to drug use than those with less money.

Peer-group pressure to use drugs is often is key factor in substance abuse, Chief Kehoe said. There are many “at-risk” factors that come into play, he said. “It’s hard to generalize,” he said.

Chief Kehoe formerly worked as the police department’s school resource officer at Newtown High School and as the youth officer for the lower grades.

Chief Kehoe said he believes that there now is broad public support for effectively dealing with the drug abuse problem. “You want to do what’s right, and I think we do what’s right for the community,” he said.

“The Parent Connection is being revitalized,” he said of the ad hoc group, which addresses substance abuse issues.

 

Drug Supply

Detective Sergeant Robert Tvardzik, who heads the police department’s eight-member detective division, said that the underground drug market currently is well-supplied with drugs at relatively low prices.

Besides alcohol, drugs that are often abused include marijuana, heroin, Ecstasy, and Oxycontin, he said. Hallucinogenic drugs come into favor cyclically, he said.

“Any drug can be abused,” Chief Kehoe noted.

Besides the use of illegal substances such as marijuana and Ecstasy, drug usage often involves the abuse of legally obtained prescription medications, Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

The current climate for heightened drug law enforcement has translated into more drug arrests, more drug offenders entering rehabilitation programs, and fewer overall sales of illicit drugs, he said.

The police department’s “anonymous tip line,” in which callers leave recorded messages on a telephone answering machine at the police station, has been handling more calls than it has in the past, he said. The telephone number is 270-8888.

Police use the information left on the answering machine as raw intelligence, which may form the basis of drug enforcement investigations, which could evolve into potential arrests.

In some cases, the information left on the tip line “is very specific,” which may prove helpful in drug investigations, Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

Police have always pursued drug investigations, Chief Kehoe said. “We have always put the effort in,” he said, adding, “I’m heartened by the fact that we have a community that is responding” to the problem.

Besides the Parent Connection, organizations expressing concern about the problem include Newtown Youth Services, the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Family Counseling Center, and the Board of Education, he said.

Parents have been mobilized on the issue and that helps police pursue investigations, he said.

“Connections and networking…that’s what it’s all about,” Chief Kehoe said. Law enforcement agencies share information in mutually aiding each others’ drug investigations, he added.

“I think we’re seeing a significant reduction of drug possession in the schools,” Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

Chief Kehoe adds that while youthful drug abuse is now in the public spotlight, police pursue drug law enforcement among all age groups. “It’s not just a ‘kids in school’ problem. It is a community problem,” he said.

Families that have been damaged by the consequences of drug abuse have come to police seeking aid in dealing with the problem, Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

Substance abuse is a continual problem, Chief Kehoe said. “There’s always [drug] use there,” he said. But the public awareness and concern about the problem is cyclical, he noted.

“It’s come to the front. It comes in cycles,” Det Sgt Tvardzik said. “We do everything we can, based on what we’ve got to work with,” he said. “We’ve had some recent success, and we’ve still got some investigations going on,” he added.

“We are putting effort into combating this problem,” Chief Kehoe said.

Drug abuse is “very, very risky behavior,” which leads to bodily damage and potentially death, Chief Kehoe said. “It runs the gamut, across the spectrum,” affecting people of all social strata, he said.

“It affects many, many people’s lives. It touches many people’s lives,” he said. It damages not only the substance abuser, but also those around him or her, Chief Kehoe said.

To effectively deal with the problem, “You need people who care,” Chief Kehoe said.