Q: Can you give some insight into the problem of drug overdoses in St. Johns County?
A: The overdose problem seems to be getting worse and we really can’t put enough educational pieces out to the public. Most importantly, I want the community to know that if people are in need of help, my office is here for that.
I believe that drugs are truly the root of all evil. When you talk about crime, drugs are often involved. In fact, of the average of 400 arrests by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office each year, the majority involved some sort of illegal narcotics use.
Q: Do you have any statistics to share?
A: The number of deaths and near deaths are increasing in our county. So far in 2022, we have had 28 fatal overdoses, which is ahead of all of 2021 when we had 21. We have had 83 non-fatal overdoses; these are victims that we brought back using Narcan. This is ahead of 71 for all of last year and these numbers are just for SJSO responses and don’t include Fire and Rescue.
In the past seven days, our narcotics unit seized half a kilo of cocaine, 760 grams of methamphetamine, and 100 grams of fentanyl. This doesn’t include our patrol unit, which typically seizes even more.
When combined with St. Johns County Fire and Rescue, we responded to more than 600 overdose cases in 2022. Out of these 600, we had 400 deployments of Narcan. The average age of people that had Narcan administered was 51 and males are ahead slightly of females.
Q: What can the SJSO offer to help?
A: We are not trying to arrest our way out of the abuse of narcotics, but feel that it’s sometimes the best way to get people into substance abuse programs. I would invite anyone who needs help in this regard to call our non-emergency number, (904) 824-8304, and a deputy can come and talk to you to help point you in the right direction for services.
I’d like to highlight some of the St. Johns County non-profits who offer services and with whom we partner: SMA Healthcare, which is located in our Health and Human Services Building; EPIC Behavioral Services; and also Flagler Health+, which now has a walk-in patient center on its main campus.
Q: Do you have any final thoughts?
A: It’s important to note that narcotics abuse does not discriminate as it pertains to age, race, gender, or socio-economic status. We as St. Johns County community members need to identify friends and/or family members who need help and assist them in getting it. Don’t be ashamed about this addiction which is a sickness; seek help with wraparound services as soon as possible.
Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you with any questions or suggestions about this article?
A: They can email me at sheriff@sjso.org or call me at (904) 824-8304. Also, our website, www.sjso.org has a wealth of resources, from alarm registration to Crime Stoppers to our Neighbors app.
