Law enforcement officers in the South Bay arrested 15 people during patrols and probation compliance checks in known hotspots for drug-related crime in the 18th installment of Operation Tip the Scale.
More than 40 deputies, police, probation and transit officers fanned out around Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and National City Thursday evening. They interviewed 69 people, made 14 misdemeanor arrests and one felony arrest, authorities said.
“The primary goal of Tip the Scale has always been public safety,” San Diego Sheriff‘s Lt. Christopher May said. “Our efforts are driven by data. We know what areas are experiencing drug-related crimes and other problems. We also know what offenders we need to check on — to make sure they are complying with their probation conditions.”
Jeff Stinchcomb of the county’s Methamphetamine Strike Force said the 15 suspects spoke with drug counselors, and four were deemed eligible for placement into a local drug treatment facility. Law enforcement officers also provided drug treatment information packets to 16 people.
In 2013, 71 percent of men and 69 percent of women booked into local jails tested positive for some type of illegal drug, with methamphetamine being one of the most popular among inmates, according to the most recent data from the San Diego Association of Governments. Last year, 45 percent of adults booked into county jails were under the influence of meth.
Deaths linked to meth use in San Diego County increased from 140 in 2008 to 262 last year, Stinchcomb said, citing statistics from the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Stinchcomb said that 575 people were arrested during the 18 Tip the Scale operations over the past six years, and hundreds spoke with drug treatment counselors.
“The good news is that we typically see both violent crimes and property crimes go down in areas where we’ve conducted this operation,” May said.
Law enforcement and other agencies that participated in this year’s operation included the Chula Vista and National City police departments; the county sheriff’s department; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the county’s Probation Department and Drug Endangered Children Program; Metropolitan Transit District Police; the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team; The Institute for Public Strategies; the South County Community Change Project; the MAAC Project Driving Under the Influence Program; and the McAlister Institute.
Stinchcomb asked anyone needing to report a methamphetamine-related crime or get in touch with a treatment center to call (877) 662-6384, or contact the Methamphetamine Strike Force online at www.no2meth.org.
—City News Service
