More Police, Parent Involvement Needed to Fight Drug Abuse in New York Community

Local county legislators and school officials in Smithtown, New York, want to take the fight against drug addiction to the "next level," with calls for more police patrols and a mandatory information forum for parents before their teens can attend school banquets and proms.

Newsday writer Carol Polsky reports that while patrols of some locations have already increased, Suffolk County Legis. John M. Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset) said that more were needed across the precinct. "When you look at the whole Fourth Precinct, it's a very large area and we've gotten a confirmed uptick across the board in the whole area."

He also said that long-term solutions require a larger police force, noting that the 2010 budget proposal now under discussion in the county legislature contained no money for a new class of police recruits.

"I support a police district tax increase sufficient to support a new class of 100 officers," he said, estimating the increase at less than 3 percent.

Smithtown School Superintendent Edward Ehmann said the district was also stepping up its anti-drug abuse campaign. Parents will now have to attend a mandatory forum on drug abuse before their children can buy tickets to school banquets and proms.

"Now we're taking it to the next level," he said. "OK, we have a problem, here's what we're going to do about it."

Set for Oct. 28 at Smithtown High School West, the forum would present information on signs of drug abuse, practical advice such as counting prescription medicine pills to make sure teens aren't taking any, the importance of realistic communications with teens, and counseling and treatment options.

He said they would "sign off that they have heard this information," and walk out with a brochure listing resources "if they decide to get some help."

The district has held several well-attended forums at the schools since last fall. But this one, Ehmann said, is modeled on the forum parents must attend before their teens can get a school parking permit.

He added, "If we're going to require them to come in order to get a parking permit because we're concerned about the safety of kids, this is on the same level …I don't expect parents to resist our efforts to help them."

The forum would be videotaped and parents unable to attend Oct. 28 could attend follow-up sessions. Information fliers will go out to the community later this week, he said.