Villas Fights Opioid Battle; Citizens’ Calls Taken Seriously

VILLAS – One resident who made a point of saying “We love our house and our community,” described a “drug house” where the occupant overdosed and was taken to the hospital one day, then overdosed again within 24 hours of his hospital release.  
Residents of Villas love their neighborhoods and the modest working-class houses they tend so carefully, but they wish that drugs were not such a stressful part of their daily lives. 
Villas is not alone in this fight; other communities in Cape May County face the same challenges. 
Although the recent nationwide opioid explosion is killing thousands each year in the nation, Villas section of Lower Township can serve as an example of how government and residents might collectively seek to stop this presidentially declared epidemic in its tracks.
The Herald recently interviewed Lower Township residents about their lives in Villas; some with as little as five years and others with as many as 35 years’ experience living in this Delaware Bay community in the county’s most populace municipality.
The residents who spoke ranged in age from their early 40s to their late 60s. Some were retired; others plan to retire soon while others look to the Villas as a key part of their future. 
Some respondents were very hopeful and positive about Villas, while others were so frustrated with the drug activity that they plan to sell their house to avoid any more battles with the drug culture and high taxes.
The Herald also spoke with the Lower Township police and local representatives of drug rehabilitation and counseling organizations to gain a perspective on why the opioid epidemic seems so out of control, and what weapons could be used to combat it.
Residents Speak
One resident lives near a house where drug transactions occur most days. Cars pull up, and the drivers enter the house to buy drugs. 
“One day a woman that looked to be in her 50s pulled up on a bicycle,” the resident related. “She began yelling the dealer’s name at various houses on the block because she did not know the exact address.” 
The resident complained that he called the police five times over a short period about those transactions, only to be asked “Do you have video?” by the officer, who then left the area.
Another resident acknowledged that there has been police response to calls, but that the drug houses he is aware of are still operating. Both have seen some street sales but stated that most sales seem to occur in particular houses that are likely known to police.
Another resident of the east side of the community moved there from Philadelphia to retire. The resident began talking about her experiences in Villas by saying, “It bugs me that there is nothing they can do about the drug problem.”
She described her neighborhood as having nice houses except for a few where all the problems seem to be located.
She noted that many teens are nice, “They offer to help mow the lawns and stuff like that,” but she has also seen some really sad things like a 9-year-old boy at a convenience store, drunk on “fire balls” at 10 a.m., making an obscene gesture to people going into the store. 
This resident wondered where the parents were.
The resident believes that Lower Township police are “wonderfully” responsive when called; she has seen arrests made on her street as well.
She feels strongly that the county and state need to help police do their job.  She has noticed that there is retaliation from some of the drug dealers, items stolen and properties vandalized.
This has caused her and her husband to get an alarm system installed.
Another resident with government experience believes that this new wave of opioid abuse is different than in past generations.
He thinks that the problem is not “geographical” or specific to Villas or any other area, but is “generational.”
He recalls times when drug problems were confined mainly to poor neighborhoods where dysfunctional families fostered a culture of drug abuse, crime, and general disrespect for their community.
He feels that the current opioid situation is a new epidemic that has found its way into the fabric of good families.
He states that almost everyone has an abuse problem in their family, or knows of a good family that struggles with a member who seems helpless to aid themselves.
A retired woman described the drug culture as becoming worse in the last five years. She acknowledged that Villas is not alone, that she also knows about similar problems in other sections of Lower and Middle townships.
She spoke about dealers in cars pulling up in front of specific houses in her area and popping their trunk and just waiting. Soon a resident comes out, pays for the “package” and retrieves it from the trunk. She feels that the police do what they can, but it seems “It’s all too much for them;” “their hands are tied.” 
She indicated that many older owners who have trouble selling their houses “Wind up renting them, and there is where the problems begin,” (rental housing). 
The resident has seen police action recently, with arrests made and detectives working in the neighborhood, but her voice rose in frustration as she added: “Our voices are not being heard.”
She explained that she thinks that the county, state, and Drug Enforcement Administration need to come in to support the local police.
That resident also described another method of sales characterized by dealers using vacant summer homes as a “drop.”
The dealer buries the drugs in a large mason jar in a flower bed or near a bush. Then a “customer” comes later to dig up the jar, removes the drugs, and leaves the money, like an “honor” system.
When we think about how to deal with drug abuse, and the collateral impact of property crime committed by drug users, police action is at the “point of the spear.”
Can We Arrest Our Way Out of This Cancer?
Detective Sgt. Douglas Witten of the Lower Township Police Detective Division is convinced that the drug problem is not any worse in Villas than other neighborhoods, that it gets a bad rap sometimes.
Witten lived in Villas since he was 4, and he sees how far the community has come in many respects over the years. 
Witten has noticed that housing in Villas has been significantly upgraded over the years and that the vast majority of residents take great pride in their community.
He is convinced that the nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse, including prescription drugs and heroin, is no worse locally than in other municipalities.
He believes it is a national, state and local problem. He is equally certain that society cannot arrest enough people to make a significant difference in communities.
Witten feels more needs to be done as a community.
Arrests and Overdoses
Statistically, according to the Lower Township police weekly crime blotter, approximately 13 arrests have been made in Villas since July of this year. 
As of Nov. 2, of this year, there have been 40 drug overdoses in Villas alone; 72 were reported for the township. Of those 40 reported in Villas, eight were fatal.
Witten described a multi-pronged approach to controlling and reducing the drug crisis that includes more arrests, more patrols that include detectives working extra shifts, and improved coordination with the county Drug Task Force to conduct larger operations. Witten explained “99 percent of the time; residents cannot have an instant response when they call in complaints.”
He explained that police take all citizen calls very seriously, but that residents may not see immediate results from those calls. That is because all intelligence gleaned from many sources, including citizen complaints, is centrally collected and analyzed at the county level to ensure that ongoing anti-drug operations are not being jeopardized by a lack of proper vetting and communication among law enforcement agencies.
Non-punitive Police Tactics
Some of the preventive strategies that the police department participates in are the CURE Program (Christians United for Recovery); CARES Cape Addiction Recovery Services, Police Camp for youths, and the Lower Township Healthy Youth Coalition.
The department is also a member of MAGLOCLEN, a nationwide network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that provides regional and local intelligence, plus training and specialized equipment for use by local police.
The department also participated in the recent “Hidden in Plain Sight” program that taught parents how to spot signs and indicators that their children may be abusing drugs for alcohol.
There was also a free Narcan training session held at the Millman Center for parents, friends, and others to learn how to recognize and prevent an overdose.
It seems clear that police take the drug issue very seriously in Villas and throughout Lower Township, as does the township government that supports the programs noted by police.
In addition, Cape Assist along with the Lower Township Police Department and Lower Township Court will soon have an advocate, in the municipal court, available for anyone who wants help in seeking treatment for their addiction.
In addition to residents caring enough about their community to report drug activity, and the quick response to criminal behavior by the police, the treatment side of this drug/alcohol abuse equation has been emphasized in Villas, as well as the other sections in Lower Township.
Prevention and Treatment
Katie Faldetta, Cape Assist director and a moving force behind the Lower Township Healthy Youth Coalition, described her organization’s role in fighting the upsurge in drug abuse.
“Our mission is to work with members of the Lower Township community to build a healthy community for our youth by reducing substance abuse.”
Some of the coalition’s activities/events used to aid in this mission are teacher in-service training, parent training, police camp for teens, and used prescription drop-offs.
The county Pride Committee surveyed students’ attitudes towards drug, tobacco, and alcohol used by teens in Cape May County’s, seventh, ninth, 11th and 12th graders.
Most student responses regarding their perception of risk when using drugs or alcohol saw an increase in their perception of risk from 2013 to 2015, although 11th graders seemed to have a declining perception of the risks associated with marijuana use from 47.5 percent in 2013, to just 32.8 percent in 2015.
Faldetta was asked to describe the availability of both out-patient and in-patient services for those seeking help.
If the person has private, comprehensive medical insurance, a bed is almost always immediately available. Because of Medicaid uncertainty and funding limitations, those poorer patients may expect to wait weeks or months for that same in-patient bed.
She recommended that anyone seeking assistance should first apply to Cape Assist or Cape Counseling for out-patient services as a way to get immediate help and support and facilitate in-patient services if needed.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a “War on Drugs.”  Now, 46 years later that war continues in Villas, and all communities, in a life-and-death battle with no victory in sight.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.