is a sergeant in the Southboro, Massachusetts, Police Department. She spoke with the Journal about her experiences with drug addicts and what role the community can play in fighting drugs.
How prevalent is drug use in the average town?
I would guess that 90 percent of the people who end up in court are there because of drug-related issues. Sometimes they're accused of drunk driving. Or they're accused of breaking and entering, because they're trying to get money for drugs. Domestic violence and physical neglect of children often start with too much drinking or drugging. But remember that only 5-10 percent of all people end up in trouble; so I'm talking about 90 percent of that figure. That means 90-95 percent of all citizens don't get in trouble, which is a good perspective to have. The news media sometimes give a distorted picture of what's really going on.
