Stop Drug Abuse in Parks
As the opioid crisis continues to grow amidst the pandemic, ongoing addictions are nurtured, and drug dealers’ wallets get fatter while they sling dope within the parks and recreational borders. This usually happens right under the nose of the public eye. Oftentimes this is the case even in broad daylight, as it is the illegal dealer’s career to be the master of behavioral disguise. Of course, if the park visitor does not even notice the drug-deals taking place, then they will not report it.
This leads to a vicious cycle, as the devoted addict is so eager to get their fix. They find a comfortable spot and end up shooting up right there while still in the park. What the park ends up with is a hoard of sold souls overdosing across its premises. Allowing this tricky situation to continue clearly does not help, but it contributes to, the opioid crisis.
It is a plausible idea to add more park surveillance. However, round-the-clock surveillance can swiftly get expensive. We must at the same time remember how surveying all the drug crimes within the park does not prevent them from happening.
Prosecutions are a whole lot more difficult to prove as well when there is no clean-cut evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. The criminal must be caught in the act in order to face genuine scrutiny. All these factors are important for Parks & Recreation Departments to think about when planning crime reduction strategies.
The solution then does not lie on focusing in on monitoring each drug abuser that visits the park, but instead on preventing the drug deals from taking place in the parks. There is tool designed to deter nuisance crimes in parks, including drug deals and abuse.
We all have a part to play. Parks and Recreation can do something about the substance abuse crisis, especially if there is a means to deter drug crimes in the parks. Before long, the bad guys will be running speedily away from the park as soon as they enter!
What is Parks Department doing to stop the drug crisis happening in your parks?
