Spotlight on...

Student of the Quarter
My name is Ashley Weight and I am a motivated 16 year old in 11th grade. Since I have met Susan, my goals have changed somewhat. I joined her along with my mother at a meth summit in Kent. It was about 3 amazing hours of recognizing the issues at hand in Snohomish County from the use of meth and who it’s affecting. Since then I have decided to take part and really do something for my school and its heavy drug problem. I have met with my drug and alcohol counselor for the first time going over what she has dealt with during her time at the school. I couldn’t believe how my sophomore class had the most suspensions. Those were just the people who were caught. After our first meeting, I realized that the “Don’t Meth Around” bracelets that Susan made, gave me a perfect opportunity to sell and start up life changing conversations at school.

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I am Detective Bud McCurry of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. I have been working for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office since 2002, and before then I was employed as a Police Officer with the Ephrata Police Department dating back to 1998.

As a Property Crimes Detective I work various crimes ranging from burglaries, robberies, thefts, auto thefts, identity theft, etc. I have even worked a high-profile bomb-threat case.

One thing I have noticed about “crimes against persons” (property crimes) is that almost every case I review and investigate has an underlying shadow having to do with narcotics. More often that not these days, the narcotic we deal with most is methamphetamine. We could investigate crimes all day, every day – but we have taken a more pro-active approach and have decided to go at the root of the problem. We target the methamphetamine, and the methamphetamine user.

Unfortunately, most neighborhoods have had to deal with the scourge of methamphetamine at one point or another. Maybe it’s a drug house on your street, or maybe it’s one of your neighbors who are just a user. Maybe you or your neighbors have been the victim of a theft or burglary committed by a meth user who is supplying their habit.

To deal with this methamphetamine problem we in the Property Crimes Unit have teamed up with additional forces. We utilize our Directed Patrol Unit as an asset to gather intelligence and to go after our crooks. Our directed Patrol unit spends countless hours watching your problem neighborhood houses – sometimes in marked patrol cars – sometimes in unmarked cars. Most of the time you probably don’t even know they are there until they spring into action.

While we were fighting this crime we ran into frustration from the community who thought we weren’t doing enough to fight their problems in their neighborhood. With limited resources, budget cuts, and limited manpower it’s pretty easy to see why we can’t work all problems, all the time. We were missing something important. Community partnerships.

In steps Susan York – a neighborhood victim herself. She had not only one, but two houses spring up in her neighborhood. I had the pleasure of helping to shut the second one down. Susan is a rare breed, and she is the person in your neighborhood who doesn’t hide from the scourge of meth, and meth users. Instead she takes the problem head-on, and intelligently deals with it. She assembles her neighbors to take her neighborhood back. She shows tenacity, but works with compassion. Susan works to get her neighborhood life back to normal, yet also works to get the meth user’s life back to normal as well. She is literally there for everyone.

Susan established Lead On America. This was what we in law enforcement were missing. Susan is the conduit that binds law enforcement and our community together. She is the communicative link that makes the two sides understand each other. Susan rallies her troops in an information gathering and information dispersing campaign. With Susan’s help, neighborhoods have learned to fight back, to regain their normal way of life.

The problem we in law enforcement had was that we could not watch problem houses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With Susan and Lead On America – our community becomes our eyes and ears when we are away. The community becomes an extension of our intelligence gathering. This information is fed to us via phone calls and emails. We take this information and build a case file on the problem(s). Once we get enough information, or just the right information we can act. It may take time, but rest assured, we are working to take your neighborhood back. One thing I learned in the United States Marine Corps was that battles are often won by force in numbers. The more…the better. Gather your neighborhood support.

To the communities that read this, take special note that Lead On America exists solely for you. This is Susan’s passion, and her organization works for you.

To the current, or former meth users that read this, understand that there is a better life. A simple roof over your head, food in the fridge, and a decent vehicle is all a person really needs to get going in the right direction. Going to work five days a week is much easier than living the meth life. No more paranoia, no looking over your shoulder for the cops. Get your paycheck, live your life. It’s very rewarding once you get on track. I personally have lived my life by one quote, and I don’t remember who said it, “I have often been adrift, but I have always stayed afloat”. Ask yourself, are you really staying afloat? Or are you taking on water and sinking? Take your life back. Plug the holes in your boat and set sail with the wind at your back.

Thanks a million to Susan York, Travis Talbot and the rest of the staff at Lead On America. In my opinion you are a very important resource. As always…keep fighting the good fight.