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History and Purpose: In the late 1990s it was recognized that children were being placed at risk by their exposure to the trafficking, manufacture and use of illegal drugs.  In some cases they actually consumed drugs which were offered to them by users or which they found on the premises; they acquired significant levels of drugs simply by inhalation or by absorption through their skin; they risked injury or toxicity from dangerous chemicals used in the manufacture of drugs; and they were exposed to domestic and non-domestic violence and physical, emotional and sexual abuse by drug users.  Methamphetamine was (and is) to children the most dangerous of the illegal drugs because it can be absorbed in significant amounts by the lungs or even through intact skin.  There was (and is) also a serious risk of injury from fires and explosions, and from exposure to chemicals used in its manufacture.

In an effort to protect children from such hazards the State of California Drug Enforcement Agency initiated a pilot Drug Endangered Children (DEC) program to protect and advocate for children who are endangered by the use, trafficking and manufacture of illegal drugs. Initially, program development grants were given to four counties: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Santa Cruz (which later dropped out of the program). One year later, in 1999, Butte, Shasta, Riverside and San Bernadino counties were given similar grants and developed their programs. The Shasta County Methamphetamine Task Force provided valuable contact and collaboration support and guidance in obtaining and implementing the program. The Shasta County program was initiated in the summer of 1999. Other counties have since followed suit, on their own financially.

Funding: Over time, grant funds have been replaced by other sources of support. In Shasta County, County Social Services administers funds provided by federal agencies to acquire office equipment and to provide care and needs (e.g. medications, etc.) for children.  It also furnishes two social workers to the program. Child Protective Services (CPS) arranges foster care as needed. The District Attorney’s office pays costs of prosecution and matches funds from Social Services . Enforcement usually involves Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force (SINTF) personnel, who work closely with DEC. The DEC director works on contract with the county Board of Supervisors.

Operation: Obviously, the purpose of DEC is to provide protection to and to advocate for children who are endangered by drug use, trafficking or manufacture.  It collaborates in the collection of evidence and preparation of reports which will provide a strong case for child endangerment charges if these are warranted.  It will also remove the child from the endangering environment when necessary.  A representative of the DEC program accompanies enforcement officers whenever they are involved in an incident in which children may be present, such as a raid (“bust”) on a home meth laboratory.  Following a strict protocol, the DEC representative may remove the child and have the child tested for the presence of drugs.  The child may then be placed in short- or long-term foster care in cooperation with the Child Protective Services (CPS) agency, usually within 24 hours of its removal.

The objective of DEC is not simply to remove a child from a hostile environment, but to advocate for the child in the long-run. DEC representatives will arrange for and accompany the child to clinic visits, collaborate with physicians to meet the child’s medical and health needs, and argue for the child’s welfare in court. Help can also be offered to the parents and families, but they must ask for it.  It is not the job of DEC to convince or cajole them.  Some parents will reform because of the threat of losing their children, and in such a case the child may be returned to those parents.  However, other parents cannot overcome the addiction to drugs, or addicted persons may be part of the home environment.  It is DECs job to detect and determine this and convey the information to the courts.  Eventually, if adequate and safe parental care cannot be assured, the child may be placed in another family by adoption.   More than 50% of the children removed by the DEC program are adopted, often by relatives, but the courts must be assured that the adoption will not result in the child’s being placed in another endangering environment.

Methamphetamine is currently the most dangerous drug for children because significant amounts of it can be present in the air in a meth environment and it can enter the body by direct absorption from the air through the skin as well as by inhalation or oral ingestion.  The chemicals in meth labs are highly volatile, flammable, toxic and caustic.  Furthermore, domestic violence, neglect, and sexual, emotional and physical abuse often accompany meth use.

Education Programs: DEC offers training and education for involved agencies and organizations and to the public at large.  Presentations have been made to law enforcement, judicial, medical, and social service agencies and to emergency responders such as fire and life support personnel.  Information and interviews are also provided to media, including television and radio.  Our local PBS television station carried a live panel program on seeking solutions to the methamphetamine problem in the north state, and the local newspaper printed a four-part series on Meth in the north state, highlighting the Methamphetamine Task Force and the DEC program. 

Between July 1, 1999, and December 31, 2004, DEC removed 130 children from methamphetamine environments. Fifty five of the children were tested and 87 percent tested positive.  Many of the children taken into custody suffered from general neglect, often missed school, and were underweight and in need of medical and dental care.  Many suffered from chronic upper respiratory problems.  There was a high incidence of symptoms associated with overstimulation or ADHD in these children.  Once placed in foster care or with an appropriate relative there was often a rapid and dramatic change to more normal eating and sleeping habits, improved performance at school and better social interactions.  However, in some unfortunate children cognitive and speech development deficits persisted or resolved only slowly.

Affiliation:   In California, DEC is a county-by-county endeavor.  Unfortunately this creates differing enforcement and administrative policies within the state.  Other states, such as Colorado, Utah and Arizona , have created state-wide DEC programs.   A network of California county DEC agencies (called The CA DEC Alliance), and a national network, known as The National DEC Alliance, serve to facilitate the exchange of information and coordination of efforts between DEC agencies.

Contact:  Contact the Shasta County DEC Program through the Webmaster or at 530.225.2102.

Shasta County Meth Task Force

Webmaster                                                                                 10 July 2007