This coming Sunday, November 5, residents from around DeKalb will have the opportunity to invest in their community at a fundraising event geared toward taking a bite out of crime. The DeKalb Police Department will be adding an officer to their roster with the addition of Dokk, a drug sniffing K-9 officer. The Drug Awareness Benefit is slated for Sunday night, starting at 5 p.m., at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center in DeKalb. The night will include a meal and an auction, and it is not too late for the public to get involved. Aside from attending the event on Saturday, you can make a donation in money or an auction item by contacting event coordinator Jody Crouch, or by going by Jody’s Flower downtown. According to a report authored by the University of Texas, “Methamphetamine is the top drug threat reported by the three DEA Field Divisions that cover Texas. Methamphetamine and cocaine problems continue to increase, with no FDA-approved Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) available.
Other statewide statistics are just as ominous, especially the number of illegal opioids out on the streets. The Northeast Texas Coalition Against Drug Abuse states that those who abuse opioids are 40 times more likely to go on to use heroin. They also note that marijuana use in teens can lead to the lowering of a persons IQ, class participation and grade point average.
The U.S. Department of Justice notes the important use of K-9 units in slowing drug trafficking, citing a canine’s ability to locate controlled substances depends on its ability to locate a source for the scent. An alert by a drug canine has historically provided the probable cause necessary to search or arrest.
