As the Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division, I am pleased to welcome back DEA’s second year of Operation Engage in Yavapai County!
Our country is in the midst of an unprecedented overdose crisis, impacting every American community. Last year, tragically over 100,000 lives were taken by drug overdose. This national crisis impacts us all: threatening bright futures. Synthetic opioids, such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl, remain the primary driver of the increases in drug overdose deaths. We are grateful for the countless lives saved. DEA’s priority is health and public safety, saving lives and using our resources to help turn this epidemic around. I remain hopeful and promise that DEA will not stop pursuing criminal drug networks who are most responsible and continue to promote and prioritize prevention through education efforts working alongside our community and law enforcement partners.
DEA’s Operation Engage will continue efforts in Yavapai County, a comprehensive community-level collaborative approach focusing on reducing drug overdoses and saving lives though continuing drug education and awareness, prevention curriculum, on-line resources, school programs and many other special events.
Through Operation Engage, our division will focus our resources in Yavapai County, targeting the opioid threat. Other components of Operation Engage will include:
Stakeholder/Community Gatherings: To share the latest information about drug trends, drug threats, and other related pertinent information.
DEA’s Citizens Academy: DEA recognizes the importance of forging strong alliances with local communities and maintaining collaborative relationships with community leaders. DEA’s Citizens Academy offers participants the opportunity to understand the world of federal drug law enforcement and the important role DEA and the community together, play in combating drug trafficking, drug misuse and related violence.
Youth Engagement: Through programs like the DEA Educational Foundation Youth Dance Program and in collaboration with CADCA, children of all ages will be able to actively participate in age-appropriate activities, designed for them to learn and gain the most knowledge about the dangers of drugs in a fun way.
Community Outreach Programs: DEA, along with stakeholder involvement, will concentrate efforts in the communities most affected by opioid misuse. In those targeted communities, the Phoenix FD will participate in facilitating prevention strategies to include, but not limited to, drug prevention training and technical assistance for communities, coalition outreach, and prescription drug take back events to name a few.
Please visit the events tab as are many resources and opportunities available to share with our communities.
The stakes have never been higher. We need your help and I invite you and your families to explore the many resources, programs and opportunities under the events tab. Learning as a family, early on, is the first step in avoiding drug experimentation, drug misuse, drug addiction, and all related behaviors that are plaguing our communities.
Always at your service,
SAC Oz
Listen: SAC Cheri Oz talks Operation Engage on the Prevention Profiles: Take Five podcast
Check out this fact sheet to learn more about the Operation Engage initiative!
Top Local Drug Threat
Local DEA officials have identified opioids as this area's top drug threat.
Accidental and undetermined drug overdose deaths increased in Yavapai County from 47 deaths in 2018 to 68 deaths in 2019, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. Opioids contributed to about 35% of the 2019 overdose deaths.
The synthetic opioid fentanyl has hit Yavapai hard because it is very difficult for people to know 1) How much fentanyl is in a counterfeit oxycodone pill, 2) How much they are extracting from a fentanyl patch, or 3) How much they are injecting into their body.
According to local Yavapai officials, the fentanyl epidemic has claimed 50 lives in the county in the last five years.
Drug Information
What Are Opioids?
Though some people still refer to all drugs as “narcotics,” today “narcotic” refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semi-synthetic substitutes. A more current term for these drugs, with less uncertainty regarding its meaning, is “opioid.” Examples include the illicit drug heroin and pharmaceutical drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, codeine, morphine, methadone, and fentanyl.
One Pill Can Kill
The Drug Enforcement Administration warns the American public of the
alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. International and domestic criminal drug networks are mass-producing fake pills, falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills, and killing unsuspecting Americans.
These counterfeit pills are easy to purchase, widely available, and often contain deadly doses of fentanyl. Pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal. This alert does not apply to legitimate pharmaceutical medications prescribed by medical professionals and dispensed by pharmacists. Read more.
See Related: Check out this Counterfeit Pills factsheet.
Check out the list below for community drug prevention resources.
Southwest Behavioral and Health Services
7600 East Florentine
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
928-717-1800
Polara Health (formerly West Yavapai Guidance Clinic)
3347 North Windsong Drive
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
928-445-5211
Polara Health
625 Hillside Avenue
Prescott, AZ 86301
928-445-5211
Polara Health
555 West Road 3 North
Chino Valley, AZ 86323
Yavapai Community Health Services
1090 Commerce Drive
Prescott, AZ 86305
928-771-3122
Check out a list of our local partners and their contact information below:
City Officials/Councils/Mayors
Prescott City Council Members and/or Mayor
201 S. Cortez
Prescott AZ. 86303
928-777-1380
Prescott Valley City Council Members and/or Mayor
7501 E. Skoog Blvd.
Prescott Valley AZ. 86314
928-759-3100
Chino Valley City Council Members and/or Mayor
202 N. State Route 89
Chino Valley AZ 86323
928-636-2646
Yavapai County
Yavapai County Board of Supervisors
1015 Fair Street
Prescott AZ. 86305
928-772-3200
Yavapai County Community Health Services
1090 Commerce Dr.
Prescott AZ 86305
928-771-3122
School Administrators
Prescott Unified School District
300 W. Gurley
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-445-5400
Humboldt Unified School District
6411 N. Roberts Rd.
Prescott Valley AZ. 86314
928-759-4000
Chino Valley Unified School District
650 E. Center St.,
Chino Valley AZ. 86323
928-636-2458
Yavapai College
1100 East Sheldon Street
Prescott, AZ 86301
928-717-7777
yc.edu
US Government/Tribal
Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System
Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences
500 Highway 89 North
Prescott AZ 86301
928-445-4860 x5303
Yavapai-Prescott Tribal Police
530 E. Merritt
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-443-1599
Business Community
The Daily Courier Newspaper
Tim Wiederaenders, Sr. Editor
8307 E. State Route 69
Prescott AZ. 86314
928-445-3333
Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce
175 E. Rd 2 South
Chino Valley AZ. 86323
928-636-2493
Prescott Chamber of Commerce
117 W. Goodwin St.
Prescott AZ. 86303
928-445-2000
Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce
7120 Pav Way #102
Prescott Valley AZ. 86314
928-636-2493
Yavapai Regional Medical Center
Partners for Healthy Students ~ Dignity Health
1003 Willow Creek Rd.
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-445-2700
Faith-based Community
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ~ Young Adult Ward
1101 Sandretto Dr.
Prescott AZ. 86305
928-445-5921; 928-445-2704
First Lutheran Church
231 W. Smoke Tree Lane
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-445-2807
The Potters House Christian Fellowship Church
5195 N. Hwy 89
Prescott AZ. 86305
928-541-1390; 928-533-6185
Prescott Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
945 Rancho Vista Dr.
Prescott AZ. 86303
928-778-6672
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
150 Fleury St.
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-445-3141
Salvation Army
237 S. Montezuma
Prescott AZ. 86303
928-778-0150
St. Luke Ebony Christian Church
12191 E. Turquoise Circle
Dewey AZ. 86327
928-772-7889
United Methodist Church
505 Gurley St.
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-778-1950
Outreach
MATForce.org
8056 E. Valley Road, Ste. B
Prescott Valley AZ. 86314
928-708-0100
North Star Youth Partnership
434 West Gurley Street
Prescott, AZ 86301
928-708-7214
northstaryouth.org
Looking for prevention resources specifically for young people? Go to the teen-focused site www.justthinktwice.com/. Here, they'll be able to get facts about drug use and learn ways to live a drug-free life.
Operation Prevention
Designed for elementary, middle, and high school students, educators and parents nationwide, Operation Prevention is an important effort to educate students about the science behind drug use and its impact, with resources that help initiate lifesaving conversations in the home and classroom. Learn more.
Check out local youth resources below:
Boys and Girls Club of Central Arizona ~ Prescott
335 E. Aubry St.
Prescott AZ. 86303
Boys and Girls Club of Central Arizona ~ Prescott Valley
8201 E. Loos Dr.
Prescott AZ. 86314
The Launch Pad Teen Center Prescott
302 Grove Ave.
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-227-0758
YMCA of Yavapai County
750 Whipple St.
Prescott AZ. 86301
928-445-7221
Go to FindTreatment.gov to search for general drug treatment facilities in your area. On this site, you can find facilities that offer various payment options (including free and no-cost care), youth treatment facilities, special programs for Veterans, plus more.
Otherwise, enter your zipcode below to find substance abuse treatment facilities in your area.
Events
Date: Sept. 28, 2022
Time: 9am - 4pm
Where: Yavapai College; Building 19, Room 225. 1100 East Sheldon Street, Prescott, AZ
Teachers, social workers, counselors, and community leaders are invited to learn about and how to describe drug abuse risk and protective factors, as well as how to identify Call-to-Action next steps. Sign up here and email any questions to Kelly Lee at kelly.j.lee@dea.gov.
Dates: Oct. 17-19, 2022
Location: Prescott, Arizona
The DEA will partner with the North Star Youth Partnership to sponsor and co-host their annual Teen Maze event. This event brings local middle and high school students through a maze of booths with the common goal of educating Yavapai County youth about the consequences of their choices to help them become better decision makers. Students travel through a maze of booths of community agencies such as law enforcement, drug prevention coalitions, local health department and anti-bullying coalitions and participate in inter-active activities to help them navigate hard decisions.
Registration for this event is done through local schools by contacting North Star Youth Partnership. Learn more.
In partnership with the DEA Educational Foundation, the DEA is hosting a 10-week youth art program in the after-school program at the YMCA Prescott location. This art program provides a free and positive after-school alternative for our area youth.
The DEA will partner with local faith based leaders to educate our community in a “One Voice Weekend,” where there will be united messaging around the DEA Take Back Day and the importance of safely disposing of expired and unused medication. Faith leaders will use this weekend to address and educate their congregations and encourage them to participate in the upcoming local Take Back event. Learn more.
