Region 3 November Newsletter
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Operation Blue / Diversion
Within the Salt Lake County area there are a couple of streets that seem to have caught the attention of thousands of people. An area so populated that people are forced to sleep, eat, and live on the streets. The situation has become a problem for the Salt Lake City Police Department, the surrounding businesses, and the entire Salt Lake County. Heroin, Cocaine, Methamphetamine are all controlled substances that are being used, sold, traded for, delivered, and shipped out of this area. The area is known as “The Block”.
Due to recent changes in the penalties for possession of a controlled substance, and the fact that the Salt Lake County Jail is not housing as many people as they were in the past, there are more and more people congregating around “The Block”. This has had a ripple effect which can be seen up and down the entire Wasatch Front. Property crimes have doubled in the last year. More and more addicts are out burglarizing homes, breaking into vehicles, shoplifting, committing robberies, and stealing bicycles and vehicles.
Some items that have been known to be traded at “The Block” for narcotics are jewelry, bicycles, tools, and firearms. The Sheriff of Salt Lake County, along with the Police Chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department have united together to take an “out of the box” approach to this major problem. Two of the largest law enforcement entities have gathered experts of many different backgrounds to try and offer help, treatment, and a path back to a productive lifestyle for so many drug addicts. The Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office, Legal Defenders, Mental Health Experts, Drug Rehabilitation Experts, and many others have all been a part of “Operation Blue / Diversion”.
Operation Blue /Diversion provides the homeless, the narcotics users, and the mentally ill the proper information they require to stop using illegal narcotics by immediately placing them in rehabilitation centers. After many months of planning, surveillance, and 3 days of arrests, 54% of the people who were taken to a receiving center and chose to be placed in treatment are still in treatment. That is a much higher number than expected; a mere 35%.
The purpose of Operation Blue / Diversion is to gather information and data from a program that has never been created before now. Operation Blue / Diversion was to be a test. The test was to see if the numbers made sense and would justify a large facility to be built in Salt Lake County. The full-time facility would provide Law Enforcement with an alternative option to booking someone into jail. This facility would also allow the everyday user who does not meet the criteria of a felonious charge to be placed in a facility where they can receive treatment. The alternative to book and release from jail is to provide the everyday user of illegal narcotics with a path to becoming a contributing member of society.
There have been parents of users who have come forward and have extended their hands out to Law Enforcement for this new program, and have thanked Law Enforcement for arresting their child. The parents have expressed that by arresting their child, Law Enforcement has saved their child’s life. This program is not perfect, and is still in the process of becoming what Law Enforcement officials want it to be. But, there is hope that an alternative solution is out there. Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, The Unified Police Department, and the Salt Lake City Police Department have partnered with many people and entities in the State of Utah and took a big swing at something very different than a typical police response. The goal is to decrease the amount of illegal drug users and high volumes of property crime. Because of Operation Blue / Diversion there may be a way for the residents of Salt Lake County and Utah to regain safety and security in their streets once again.
On October 10, 2016, information from a neighboring DEA Field Division led to the seizure of 236 pounds of methamphetamine and $66,000 in U.S. Currency by DEA Salt Lake City District Office (SLCDO), Group 3. A vehicle suspected of carrying narcotics was located by Group 3 at a motel in Utah. Three suspects were observed departing in the vehicle and heading northbound on Interstate 15. A Utah Highway Patrol unit subsequently stopped the vehicle for a traffic violation near Springville, Utah. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of 236 pounds of methamphetamine located inside boxes and duffel bags in the bed of the truck. Approximately $66,000 in U.S. Currency was seized from luggage inside the vehicle. This is an ongoing investigation.