Midpoints: More drugs leads to more crime

When the slight, smiling man came into the convenience store my husband and I owned years ago, I was working behind the counter and was admittedly naïve when it came to criminal behavior. If I had been wiser, I would have noticed that he was wearing a long sleeved sweatshirt on a warm August evening, perhaps to hide the needle marks on his arms.

The fellow was a bit hyped up, but I thought he was just an outgoing guy. Until he showed the knife and told me to empty the cash register.

Thankfully, I wasn’t physically harmed and the robber didn’t get much of a take. But I was shaken and forever changed as a victim of a violent crime.

Drug use is an acknowledged factor in the commission of crimes. According to statistics disseminated by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2002, about a quarter of convicted property and drug offenders in local jails had committed their crimes to get money for drugs. Among state prisoners in 2004, the pattern was similar, with 30 percent of property offenders and 26 percent of drug offenders likely to commit their crimes for drug money.

It is no wonder that Norwood’s Board of Selectmen is alarmed at the larger number of drug-related arrests in town. The presence of more drugs can only mean more crime. At a recent meeting of the board, Norwood’s Police Chief Bartley King reported that arrests for drug possession are on the rise.

“We do have a larger number of arrests now related to drugs,” said King. “We seem to be having a more prevalent use of drugs since the beginning of the year.”

King reported that there have recently been two drug-related overdoses and reported three cases of possession to distribute Class A drugs, which include heroin. Heroin, he said, is the “drug of choice” because it is relatively cheap.

There have also been three reported Class B violations, which include cocaine, and four instances of drug violations near a school or park, according to the chief’s report to selectmen.

There are currently a number of ongoing drug-related investigations in Norwood, according to King, who told the board that the police department is working with the Norfolk County Police Anti-Crime Task Force (NORPAC) and police officers in area towns to crack the cases. One recent bust included the seizure of approximately 360 pounds of marijuana intended for distribution.

“That’s so disheartening to hear about the huge amount of drugs in the area,” said Selectman Helen Donohue.

The somber presentation of Chief King and the sincere concern of the board are not lost on Norwood’s residents. Even with the acknowledgement that drugs have long been a presence in town, the recent increase in activity is frightening to those who make Norwood their home, who raise families here, and who plan to live out their later years in the company of family and friends.

Those who introduce drugs into Norwood, whether as users who need help, or distributors who need jail sentences, are a threat to the very fabric of the community. Norwood’s police force needs all the support they can get from other towns, other agencies, and state and federal governments to wage a successful assault on local drug use and distribution.

And they need the cooperation of the community, to be their eyes and ears, to report anything suspicious to the police. Perhaps some education of the public is in order to help them to be alert to the signs of drug-related activities so that they know when to notify the authorities.

It’s one thing to give people the benefit of the doubt, as I did on that August night more than a decade ago. But such naiveté can allow crimes to go unreported and people to become victims of drug-related crimes. Let’s get smart about this and get drugs out of Norwood.

Norwood resident Candace Leary’s Midpoints column appears Mondays in the Transcript.