Heroin is a problem in our City and across the country. It is a problem that we are addressing proactively and collaboratively, and when it comes to the enforcement side…definitively. I have a very simple message for those providing drugs to the residents in Santa Clarita: No more.
This strong stance has been reinvigorated since I came back to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station as the Chief of Police. This valley is my home and I take the safety of our residents very seriously.
In 2010, working in direct partnership with the City of Santa Clarita and the County of Los Angeles, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station formed its Juvenile Intervention Team, or “J‐Team.” The team’s three-pronged approach targeting education, intervention and enforcement allowed team members and community leaders the opportunity to work together to outline a comprehensive strategy to address growing concerns regarding drug/heroin use and availability in the Santa Clarita Valley. Over the years we have continued to see a number of heroin overdoses and incidents in our teen and young adult populations, reminding all of us of the importance and necessity of the J-Team and its three-pronged mission.
Our deputies are cracking down on those who look to sell drugs in Santa Clarita and have made dozens of arrests, seized pounds of heroin and confiscated tens of thousands of dollars in cash. In addition, our deputies now have access to naloxone or Narcan, an anti-opioid nasal spray that can save lives during an overdose. All 240 members of our station have been issued naloxone and are trained on how to administer it.
This is not someone else’s problem, it is all of ours and we MUST continue our unwavering commitment to address it at all levels. With our strong community partnerships focusing on education, resources, intervention, medical treatment, rehab and enforcement we will continue to take on this epidemic.
Captain Robert Lewis,
Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station