The Opioid Crisis

Heroin’s Impact on Neighborhoods

Nuisance properties: More than 200 nuisance properties (squatters, homeless encampments, etc.) have been identified in Snohomish County – and almost all are home to heroin use. At any one time, we may have up to 85 open nuisance property investigations. Nuisance properties are addressed through a partnership with the Snohomish Regional Drug & Gang Task Force, Human Services, Code Enforcement, the Fire Marshal, Public Works, as well as Neighborhood Watch and community groups.

The Office of Neighborhoods: Created in 2015, the Office of Neighborhoods teams up law enforcement and human services social workers to go out into the field and work directly with those who struggle with addiction. Between September 30, 2015 and October 31, 2016 the team secured housing for 57 individuals who had been living in homeless encampments or squatting on properties illegally. They enrolled 86 people in detox programs. Of those, 72 who started a detox program successfully completed the program and moved to inpatient drug treatment. The relapse rate for most Snohomish County referrals to detox is around 90% - for the Office of Neighborhoods, it’s 40%.

Heroin’s Impact on Crime

A heroin addict is rarely able to hold a steady job, so theft becomes one of the easiest options to fund their addiction. Burglary rates in Snohomish County increased an average of 80% between May 2013 and May 2015. In 2017, more than 1,700 cars were stolen in Snohomish County in the first seven months - as many as were reported stolen in all of 2016.

Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force: On average, 7 cars are stolen each day in Snohomish County. More often than not, auto theft is either directly or indirectly related to drug use or trafficking. Through a partnership with the Marysville Police Department, Washington State Patrol, and the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office, SNOCAT works to reduce auto theft in the county by apprehending notorious car theives, breaking up "chop shop" operations, and through public education

Property Crimes: In addition to the North County Property Crimes Unit, property crimes detectives are assigned to each Sheriff's Office precinct and partner city. These detectives focus on crimes such as burglary, major theft, fraud and trafficking in stolen property. Often, these crimes occur to feed drug addiction or drug trafficking.

Heroin’s Impact on the Jail

The Snohomish County jail’s medical housing unit was designed to hold 24 inmates with moderate to severe medical issues. Since 2013, this unit is often at 200% capacity (52 inmates on average) with more inmates then beds - over 90% are on heroin or opioid withdrawal care. To alleviate the strain on medical facility and staff, we implemented booking restrictions in 2014. In the months that followed, the jail turned away an average of 100 bookings/month.

Heroin’s Impact on Patrol

In 2015, the Snohomish County Human Services launched the Opioid Overdose Prevention Project, which trains local law enforcement and others how to administer Narcan (also known as Naloxone) to reverse an opioid-related overdose. Since implementation, over 100 lives have been saved by Snohomish County law enforcement - including 17 by Sheriff's deputies.

Opioid Overdose and Addiction Statistics

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

• Snohomish County experiences around 18% of all heroin-related deaths in Washington although the county comprises only 10% of the state’s population⁵ 
• From 2011 to 2013, approximately 1 out of every 5 heroin deaths in Washington state occurred in Snohomish County⁵ 
• In 2013 alone, heroin and prescription opioid overdoses represented 2/3 of the 130 accidental overdose deaths in the county⁵

NATIONALLY 

• Opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) killed more than 33,000 people in 2015, more than any year on record¹ 
• 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose¹ 
• Heroin addiction has increased among 18-25 year olds¹ 

Heroin and Big Pharma

• Approximately 3 out of 4 people report abusing prescription opioids prior to using heroin¹ 
• The number of opioid deaths coincides with the rise of heroin overdoses in the US³ 
• More than half of long-term OxyContin users are on doses that public health officials consider dangerously high⁴ 

The Opioid Crisis: What can I do?

• Get rid of any unwanted medications - especially opioids - through MED-Project.
• Report nuisance properties and homeless encampments to the Office of Neighborhoods
• Report suspected drug activity to the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force

The Opioid Crisis: What else can be done

• Create and enhance community partnerships – there is no one service or agency that can tackle the problem alone
• Reduce the availability of prescription opioids
• Ensure and enhance access to local prevention services
• Ensure and enhance access to local addiction treatment services
• Expand the availability of naloxone. More than 100 lives have been saved by law enforcement in Snohomish County since the deployment of naloxone in 2015²

^{1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2. Snohomish County Opioid Project 3. National Institute on Drug Abuse 4. Los Angeles Times 5. Snohomish Health District}