Detectives: Be parents, not friends

The St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office community meeting Tuesday offered warnings about drug activity, the dangers of social media and bullying.

The current patterns show an increase in marijuana among underage persons, Narcotics Division Capt. John Kahl said. A lot of arrests with juveniles involve marijuana.

“What’s the reason for it?” Kahl said. “I don’t know. They’re being exposed to it, which means when people are exposing and selling it to them, they’re not saying no. It’s being put in front of them and they’re not turning it away.

“So, we’ve got to get out there more aggressively and talk to these kids and explain to them how they’re making bad decisions.”

Methamphetamine is the biggest drug issue facing the community.

“We’ve always had an issue with meth,” Kahl said. “It’s not that it wasn’t here. But we’re seeing more and more meth, and it’s taking up more and more of our time.”

Heroin is making its presence known in the community, although there is a decline in arrests. Kahl said a person addicted to prescription medicine or opioids is more likely to use heroin. It’s a cheaper alternative.

Prescription pills are still a dangerous issue.

“It’s still the No. 1 reason why people go to the emergency room, more than any other drug combined,” Kahl said.

There is a dramatic decline in the sale and the abuse of synthetic cannabinoids, also known as synthetic marijuana.

“I partly give credit to us and give credit to you guys who go out there and put together these symposiums and forums in schools,” Kahl said.

“We, at some point, had gone to schools three times a week and talked to kids about synthetics, straight synthetics. And I think that message got out.”

Kahl presented statistics over the past three years of drug related arrests in the Narcotics Division.

In 2014:

—Marijuana, 105

—Synthetic cannabinoids, 58

—Prescription medicine, 30

—Methamphetamine, 28

—Cocaine, 25

—Heroin, 4

In 2015:

—Marijuana, 67

—Prescription medicine, 50

—Methamphetamine, 48

—Cocaine, 11

—Synthetic cannabinoids, 10

—Heroin, 3

As of 2016:

—Marijuana, 30

—Prescription medicine, 18

—Cocaine, 16

—Meth, 13

—Synthetic cannabinoids, 12

—Ecstasy, 9

—Heroin, 1

If focus and resources are poured into one problem area, then the tendency is for another area to rise and become an issue.

“While we’re looking at one door, another door opens,” Kahl said.

Social media is considered the No. 1 activity on the Internet. There are over 350 social media sites. And 29 percent of Internet sex crime relationships were initiated on a social networking site, Detective Lt. Buddy Rogers said.

The social media presentation revealed that 71 percent of teens have established online profiles on social media sites. More than 50 percent of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day.

Also, there are currently 171 sex offenders in St. Mary Parish. And 57 sex offenders are incarcerated.

One of the suggestions for protecting children from the dangers of social media and online activities is to monitor cellphone, tablet and computer usage. Placing the computer in a centralized location visible to parents is also a deterrent.

If a computer is inside the child’s room and the door is closed, parents become unaware of what is going on on the other side of the door, Rogers said.

Kahl also encourages parents to be aware and more engaged in the social activity of their children as a preventive measure. This can be problematic when you hear people saying, “Well, my kids need their privacy.”

“One more thing we need to learn and promote out there is to be parents and not friends to our kids,” Kahl said. “You can be friends later, this is just my opinion. It’s how I deal with it. I’ll be their friend when they’re an adult.

“Right now, I’m their parent. I think when we started treating some of our children like adults, we starting seeing some of these problems.”

Presentations about drugs, bullying, social media, and self-defense can be scheduled for schools, churches, and other organizations at no cost.

For more information, contact Detective Traci Landry at 985-384-1622 or 337-828-1960.