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California Alliance for Drug Endangered Children

Download DEC Brochure

 by clicking link below:

Brochure

To report any fraud or crime related to Drug Endangered Children issues, use our online  Fraud/Crime Reporting form here.

Read a recent article in the Chico News and Review about the Meth problem in Butte County

 

 

2004 Statistics

 

DEC cases investigated:

169

Children rescued:

331

(28 from labs)

DEC cases filed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Problem

                Inattention

- Methamphetamine manufacturing, use, sales, and lifestyle endanger daily the lives, health, safety, and futures of children in California.

- Increasingly methamphetamine labs take place in homes where children are present, and in harm’s way.

- Endangered children are unaware of, and unprotected from, the immediate and long term threat thrust upon their lives by methamphetamine abusing parents.

- Surprised by fire, burned by acids, overcome by fumes, children are the least able to protect themselves, and most likely to be harmed, if not killed, by a methamphetamine lab.

- Breathing chemical fumes expelled by the caustic, volatile, and toxic chemicals used to make methamphetamine, threatens children’s immediate and long term health as they grow up in the environment of a methamphetamine lab.

               Other Hazards That Endanger Children:

- Bloodied needles, used meth pipes, inhalation of second hand meth smoke and the drugs themselves, endanger children daily through potential contamination;

- Sexual or physical abuse plagues children in drug using homes;

- Death or domestic violence, if not victims themselves, drug endangered children are often witnesses to such violence.

- Long term effects for drug endangered children are just as debilitating as immediate contamination or harm.

- Self esteem, educational growth, productivity, and good community spirit are all lost on a child who is exposed daily to the cycle of drugs and abuse.

- No uniform effort in the past came from Law Enforcement, Children’s Services, or the District Attorney to investigate parents who were endangering children with meth use, manufacturing, sales, and lifestyle.

The Solution

               Cooperation

- Drug Endangered Children Program developed in Butte County in 1993 as a new approach to save children endangered by drug labs and lifestyle.

- Multi-agency resources of the District Attorney’s Office, Children Services, and Law Enforcement, formed a core team to respond to drug cases endangering children.

- Cooperation by DEC Team members insures full investigation of the crime of child endangerment, protection of the children, and prosecution of all appropriate charges.

- Immediate intervention, medical assistance, appropriate placement, and an opportunity to live a crime free life are benefits which result from the DEC program.

- The children’s benefits are a sound investment in the community. More importantly, leaving children exposed to daily abuse, if not ultimately death, is simply inhumane.

- Over 600 Butte County children have been rescued by the DEC program since 1993. In 1999, 45 children were rescued from drug plagued environments; 29 of those children were found in drug labs.

- In California, other counties have similar, and equally successful, DEC programs. Those counties include: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta.

- Children throughout the state suffer daily at the hands of adults who are more concerned with methamphetamine than with children. A DEC program is a necessary and effective measure which protects children, and the community, through effective use of agency mandates, and with appropriate concern.

- The Butte County DEC Response Team has provided training and community presentations more than 100 times to 4,500 persons throughout the County of Butte and State of California, as well as presentations in the states of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Washington, DC. Training is provided on drugs, user identification, methamphetamine manufacturing, investigation of DEC cases, prosecution and Social Service intervention.

               The Community Involvement

- These children need Teachers, Principals, School Health Aids, Counselors, Bus Drivers, Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers, Police Officers, Pastors, Youth Group Leaders, Neighbors, Friends and Relatives to intervene when drug endangerment is evident.

- If you know children who live with known drug makers, distributors, or users, where there are unknown chemical odors, unusual amounts of visitors, where children are hungry, dirty, unsupervised, neglected, and/or physically and emotionally abused, you must help rescue them.

To Report A Drug Endangered Children Case Contact:

The Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force DEC Response Team

P. O. Box 2008
Oroville, CA 95966-2008

530-538-2261

                     — OR —

The Butte County Children’s Services Division

(530) 538-7617

California Alliance for Drug Endangered Children

For More Information Contact the above listed agencies, Download the DEC Brochure or contact:

The Butte County District Attorney’s Office

25 County Center Drive

Oroville, CA 95965

(530) 538-7411