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Haywood County Sheriff's Office Newsletter
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The Sheriff’s Corner

Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Newsletter

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Message from the Sheriff

Several members of the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office command staff recently took part in the “Haywood County Leadership Forum on Opioid Abuse” at Wells Event Center in Waynesville.
 
County and municipal leaders, several medical professionals and key community stakeholders attended the event to share the latest information related to opioid addiction and impacts on the Haywood County Community as well as share education, prevention and treatment tools in the county.
 
I spoke briefly on the Opioid and other substance use impacts we are seeing within our communities in Haywood County, beginning with trends we are seeing in our detention center.
 
We have an average daily population in our detention center of 119, with an average length of stay being 14 days, and the cost per day to our county taxpayers is $72 per inmate.
 
We partnered with Western Carolina University and their Psychology Department in a Behavioral Health Evaluation Project for our detention facility.
 
According to the project manager the most striking finding was the prevalence of severe substance use disorders among inmates and the associations with repeat offenses.
 
♦ 85 % of our inmates admitted to having at least one substance use disorder.
 
♦ 68 % reported at least one severe substance use disorder.
 
♦ 30 % quickly admitted having a severe opioid addiction.
 
♦ 40% of the inmates admitted to having injected their drug of choice in the past 12 months.
 
Associations with Recidivism
 
♦ 61 % of those with serious substance use disorders had multiple bookings VERSUS 35 % for inmates without addictions.
 
♦ 53 % of repeated drug injectors had multiple prior bookings VERSUS 38 % who did not inject.
 
The medical impact this has on our detention center is substantial.

When a person shows signs of substance addiction when booked into the detention center, the medical staff must run the person through a rigorous patient care process.

For example:

If the inmate is an opiate user, the medical staff will monitor the inmate daily as most detox protocols last 7-10 days and then other medications will begin.

If pregnant, special considerations include doctor appointments and medications have to be given along with monitoring the fetus.

Once detoxed from the opioid, most have to be seen by mental health crisis management due to the fact substance use in many cases is linked to mental health issues. The person is then seen by the doctor for the correct medication & treatment plan. (Many have to be on multiple mental health medications that require frequent returns to the doctor for management & dosing).

There have been 849 documented substance detoxing medical rounds made during the first 9 months of 2017.  

Another Community Impact is the deterioration of the home and our families.

Our deputies witness the impact of addiction on a child’s living environment far too often. These addictions are causing many grandparents to raise their grandchildren.

Addiction is also huge contributor to our county’s property crime issue.

Our most recent report to the commissioners showed that our Criminal Investigation Division assigned 681 cases to a detective for investigation in 2016.

Since 2012, our property crime charges have risen 35%-- from 313 to 402 charges made in 2016.

For all of 2016, Haywood County Emergency Medical Services administered 144 doses of Narcan; and since January 1st of 2017, 209 doses have already been administered.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services showed 5.6 million opiate-based pills were prescribed to Haywood County residents in 2016 (that is 94 pills per person).

According to Haywood County Medical Examiner Garry Wooten, in 2016, at least one out of every five autopsied deaths was from an opioid overdose.

Our law enforcement agencies are working very hard on this epidemic as drug arrests in Haywood County continue to rise—to be more specific—since 2012, the Sheriff’s Office drug arrests have increased by 154% at the end of 2016.
 
The many initiatives we have introduced, such as our Criminal Suppression Unit and our partnership with our police departments in the county with our Unified Narcotics Investigations Team Task Force, continue to be very productive. However, we are in need of more manpower, stronger prosecution and sentencing for dealers and traffickers as well as repeat offenders, more legislation, strong prevention education for our school age children, stronger prescribing accountability, more assistance from our faith-based community and more rehabilitation and mental health services as we continue to aggressively fight this major destroyer of our society.

In God We Trust

Sheriff Greg Christopher

Safely Dispose Your Medications

REMINDER: Every law enforcement agency in Haywood County has a medication take back box. You are strongly encouraged to drop off any unwanted medicines in these boxes. The box at the Haywood County Sheriff's Office is located outside the main front doors, on the right side.
Bethel Christian Academy's "Overdose" Live Performance

Deputy Chris Strader and Jean Parris with Drugs in Our Midst had a display at Bethel Christian Academy coinciding with the "Overdose" live performances. Deputy Strader and Ms. Parris handed out information on substance abuse and prevention for families to take home.
Stories from the Inside: Prevention in our Schools

The Haywood County Sheriff's Office continues to push the message of substance abuse prevention in our schools. Through our partnership with Drugs in Our Midst, we are able to reach more students than ever before with the message of choices, risks and consequences associated with substance abuse.

As a way of reaching the students in different and powerful way, we recently filmed video interviews with people in the detention center who were willing to share their story of addiction and loss. We hope incorporating these stories into our presentations will open as many eyes as possible to the realities of substance abuse consequences.
Domestic Violence Awareness

Several people in our office donned their purple attire for "Purple Thursday" which is observed during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Wearing purple is a way to publicly honor victims and support survivors of domestic violence.

Whether or not you feel able to leave an abusive relationship, there are things you can do to better protect yourself and your family.

IMPORTANT LOCAL NUMBERS

Haywood County Sheriff's Office:
452-6666

HCSO Domestic Violence Task Force

Deputy Josh Parton: 356-2879

Victims Advocate Suzie Pressley: 356-2884

REACH of Haywood County:
456-7898

WNC Legal Services:
586-8931

IF YOU ARE IN DANGER CALL 9-1-1

Canton WWII veteran receives highest French honor

Story published in The Mountaineer October 25, 2017

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Paul Willis, 96, a WWII veteran from Canton, was awarded the French Legion of Honor by the French Consul General, Louis de Corail, at a ceremony in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

The Legion of Honor, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is awarded for service to France and is its most prestigious honor. Willis and one other WWII veteran, James Mynatt, from Knoxville, were presented the Knight’s Badge as a pledge of France’s eternal gratitude for their courage and fight, after risking their lives for the freedom of France and Europe during the war. 

Tech. Sgt. Willis was a member of Company G, 329th Infantry, 83rd Division, U.S. Army, and fought battles in the Normandy, Brittany, and Loire Valley campaigns in France. 

In all, he served for three years during the war and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in the Battle of the Bulge.  Other campaigns in which he saw action were the Hurtgen Forest, Central Europe, and Rhineland. 

Also present at the ceremony, which was held at the Sherrill Hills Retirement Community Theatre, were Amelie De Gaulle, grand niece of the late president of France, Charles De Gaulle, and officers of Alliance Francaise Knoxville. 

Consul General Louis de Corail, who represents France in six Southeastern states, including Tennessee and North Carolina, presented the award on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron. 

Willis, who worked at Champion Paper and Fibre Company before retiring, has remained active in the Canton community, teaching Sunday school, speaking at school events, and writing poetry, some of which is about his war experiences. 
His most recent publication, “Reflections of a World War II Veteran,” can be found at area bookstores. 

The Mountaineer "A New Experience in Local News"
 
Blue Ridge Honor Flight

Deputy Alan Williams recently assisted in escorting several World War II veterans from Jackson County to Buncombe County as part of the Blue Ridge Honor Flight.

The mission of the Blue Ridge Honor Flight is to transport America’s Veterans to Washington, DC to visit those memorials dedicated to honor the service and sacrifices of themselves and their friends.

Read more about the Blue Ridge Honor Flight HERE
Farm Bureau Haywood County: Tribute of Service Recognition

We would like to thank Haywood County Farm Bureau for presenting our office with an award for "outstanding service to the agricultural community of Haywood County" after we gave a presentation about how to better safeguard your property from those looking to commit a crime. We are honored!
Community Kindness: First Responder Appreciation Events

We would like to thank Crabtree United Methodist Church and USA Golf Carts for hosting a fantastic lunch/ dinner for first responders and active/ retired military. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by many and Haywood County is lucky to have such kind people like you.
Kiwanis Barbeque

The Waynesville Kiwanis Club held its annual major fundraiser at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville in October.

Dozens of volunteers worked together to serve up more than 1,000 barbeque meals—all to go toward projects benefitting local kids.

Deputy Glen Biller along with part of the Haywood County Detention Center work crew volunteered at the event as well.
 
"No Shave November" to raise money for Cops and Kids
Haywood County Sheriff's Deputies will be taking part in "no shave November" again this year as a way to raise money within our office to go toward the Cops and Kids program. Each deputy who chooses to participate and grow a beard through the entire month of November submits $40 as a sign of their dedication to the event. Above is a picture on the last day of no shave November last year.
Scam Reminder: We will not ask you to pay over the phone
PLEASE BE ADVISED: The Haywood County Sheriff’s office will NOT ask you to make a payment of any kind over the phone.

If you get a call from our office asking you to make a payment over the phone, it is a SCAM. Any financial transactions ( including any fundraising efforts) will be done in person / at our office at 1620 Brown Avenue in Waynesville.

Haywood County's IT department has worked with various phone companies and the Attorney General's office over the past few years to try to knock a scammer's ability to appear as a legitimate person on a caller ID.

However, the best way to fight this problem is education.

Know the red flags, hang up the phone, visit a reputable website and call the number listed on the website for follow up if you wish. If you think you or someone you know might have been scammed or contacted by a scammer, report it to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM .
For those who would like to join our Detention staff: we are hiring part-time officers.
Suicide Prevention Meeting in Haywood County: Nov. 9 at  2 p.m. in Haywood County Health and Human Services Building

Haywood County Health and Human Services will host a special meeting about suicide prevention, Thursday, November 9. A guest speaker from the VA Medical Center will be in attendance to lead the conversation. Please see the full announcement for location, time and contact information.
Copyright ©  2017 Haywood Sheriff's Office, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
1620 Brown Ave, Waynesville, NC 28786
(828) 452-6666
https://www.haywoodncsheriff.com

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Haywood Sheriff's Office · 1620 Brown Avenue · Waynesville, NC 28786 · USA

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