ST. LOUIS — Police departments from across the metro-area are coming together to educate the community about the dangers of drug addiction.
“Risky Behavior” is a blunt conversation aimed at informing the community about the realities of drug and alcohol use and addiction.
“Our goal is to help people,” Chief Kevin Scott, Ballwin Police Department said.
“If we can help one person that shows up if it's that person that needs help, or a family member that needs help. That’s what’s important to us. we all realize from a law enforcement standpoint we have an issue in our region. The only way we’re going to address it is through education.”
Chief Scott started the program last year after traditional drug preventions methods weren’t attracting the attention of the community. A community he said is being infiltrated by drugs.
The 63011 zip code has a heighted heroin and fentanyl use the chief said.
“This is a huge issue,” Scott said. “Heroin, opioids and the fentanyl epidemic here in the region is a huge problem. We aren’t going to arrest our way out of anything. We need the customer buy in, the community buy in to help us. We need to push the education and treatment component of this very seriously.”
The two-hour conversation will start off with a lecture and end with a Q&A opportunity for the community.
The down to earth systematic approach will cover a wide range of topics including how people get on the path of addiction and how to turn their lives around.
Twenty-two departments are participating in this event that will take place at Greentree Community Church, 100 Kirkwood Place, 63122.
RSVP at baldriga@kirkwoodmo.org