Meet the Meth Strike Force
Sheriff Perry Reniff
Butte County Sheriff’s Office
www.buttecounty.net/sheriffs
The mission of the Butte County Sheriff's Office is to protect and serve the citizens of Butte County by providing vigorous, ethical, efficient law enforcement and to increase public awareness of personal safety and security measures. Methamphetamine has plagued our community for years. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office hopes its participation in the Meth Strike Force will help educate the public about the dangers of meth.
Mike Ramsey, D.A.
Butte County District Attorney’s Office
Sue Webber-Brown / Keith Krampitz
Butte County Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF)
BINTF was formed in October of 1985 to confront a growing drug problem in Butte County. The primary purpose of the Task Force is the enforcement of the narcotic and controlled substance laws of the State of California in the County of Butte, including all incorporated cities of the County of Butte. The Drug Endangered Children program, or DEC, was pioneered by Sue Webber-Brown as a result of the horrendous conditions that infants and children were found in during drug busts. Meth labs are some of the most dangerous environments of all.
Paula Felipe
Crime Prevention Coordinator | Butte County Sheriff’s Office
In addition to chairing the Butte County Methamphetamine Strike Force and organizing its various activities, Paula’s job includes developing educational programs on drugs and gangs for K-12 students, teaching crime prevention tactics and strategies, coordinating the Neighborhood Watch program and acting as editor for Sheriff’s crime prevention newsletter .
Formerly the public safety reporter for the Oroville Mercury-Register, Paula covered numerous stories involving methamphetamine, including the multi-part series on meth, “Tears of Innocence” which examined the Butte County Interagency Narcotics Task Force’s Drug-Endangered Children (DEC) program. Her experience as public safety reporter inspired Paula with a passion for supporting law enforcement and working to eliminate methamphetamine from Butte County.
Paula has a Social Science Teaching Credential from California State University, Chico, and taught world history and geography classes at Las Plumas High School in Oroville. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Chico State with Bachelor degrees in Religious Studies and Political Science.
Marian Gage/Karie Brinker
Butte County Office of Education
www.bcoe.org/ess/hp
The Butte County Office of Education Partners in Health & Safety are health educators and community organizing professionals and youth dedicated to improving the health and safety of youth and families in Butte County with direct drug, alcohol, tobacco, and violence prevention services and positive development of the assets of youth, families, schools, and communities. Butte County Office of Education's is concerned about education and prevention efforts related to school age youth regarding any drugs. We support community coalitions who act as advisory boards for school districts as well as discuss community drug related issues. Meth use has been a concern on both levels. We also advocate for student support services that include alcohol, tobacco and drug assessments, student support groups and parent support. Most high schools in Butte County have a person dedicated to providing these services. Please contact the individual school or our office at 532-5840 for more information.
Alice Kienzle, R.N.
Butte County Public Health
www.buttecountypublichealth.org
The mission of Butte County Public Health Department is to protect the public by promoting individual, community and environmental health. Our goals are to encourage communities and individuals to assume primary responsibility for adopting lifestyles conducive to optimum health. We work to prevent the spread and complication of disease, disability, injury and/or premature death. We survey the health needs of the community and provide leadership in creating a healthful environment. Our nursing staff, health educators, and clinic staff are working every day with people whose lives and whose families lives have been horribly impacted by methamphetamine. We are often in the homes of families that have been torn apart by this drug. We are excited to be a part of the methamphetamine strike force. Our organization is committed to help our community be free of methamphetamine and the devastation it causes to those that use it.
Patty Smith
Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services
www.buttecounty.net/dess
The main goal of Children's Services is to protect children from maltreatment. Children’sServices is also charged with the reunification of children back to their families, if possible, as soon as the risk is abated. Drugs and alcohol are usually involved in most of the families we work with. We are linked with the Drug Endangered Children’s (DEC) Program with two identified social workers, one from the North and one from the South, often accompanying the DEC team on their searches when it is believed children may be in the home. If drugs are found, the social worker's job is to remove the children from the home and place them in a safe environment until things can be sorted out. We hope the Meth Strike Force impacts our services by removing more children from drug infested homes.
Tim Truby
Crime Prevention Specialist | Chico Police Department
Tim is a long time resident of Chico and earned his degree in Business Economics at CSU Chico. He left the private sector and put his skills to work with the Chico Police Department in 2001. Tim is in charge of surveillance activities, and therefore is the man to call regarding suspected drug houses and suspicious activity. He also provides trainings in robbery prevention, identity theft, neighborhood watch programs, and mediates neighborhood disputes. He can be reached at Chico PD (530) 897-4942.
Chico Police Department
www.chico.ca.us/Police/Home_Page.asp
John Wardell , Chief Probation Officer, Butte County
Cheryl Tuck Smith, Attorney
Lynne Bussey
Lynne Bussey Public Relations & Marketing | Butte County Meth Strike Force Media Contact
Lynne was raised in the Bay Area but came to Chico to attend CSUC and graduated in 1978. She has been an activist in the community for over 30 years, fundraising to establish programs like Project Child and The Esplanade House. Formerly Director of Community Relations for Chico Community Hospital, she started her own PR firm specializing in medical and social services when Community Hospital was purchased by Enloe Medical Center. Lynne has served on the Strike Force since 2005, when she donated a multi-media campaign for meth prevention to broaden awareness in Butte County. She was responsible for bringing a California Endowment grant to the Strike Force for a community assessment project, and re-designed the 2stopmeth.org website. Currently Lynne is raising money for production of a meth documentary specific to the North State.
Don Fultz
Substance Abuse Counselor | Feather River Tribal Health
Don is one of the Strike Force’s addiction specialists. That title was garnered through 30 years of field research, ten of which focused primarily on methamphetamine. This was followed by ten years of recovery, which included five years of college and six years as a Certified Addictions Treatment Counselor. He is pleased to be involved in a collaborative effort to improve Butte County’s quality of life and influence policies and programs relating to addiction in general and methamphetamine in particular.
Lisa Cox
Butte County Behavioral Health
Jeremy Wilson
Butte Youth Now Coalition Coordinator | Behavioral Health Education Specialist
Earning a Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University, Chico, Jeremy is currently employed by the Butte County Department of Behavioral Health. As coordinator of the Butte Youth Now Coalition, he helps build positive relationships that support community development to reduce underage and high risk drinking, meth and other drugs. Butte Youth Now brings adult community leaders from various community agencies together with high school students to address substance abuse.
In 2007 Butte Youth Now was nationally recognized by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America with their Got Outcomes Award. Butte Youth Now was selected for its success in demonstrating that the coalition is making progress towards long-term outcomes.
Jeremy has a passion for serving communities and people in need. Jeremy has been on mission/relief trips to Uganda, Africa and Mexico, volunteers in his hometown every year for the Every 15 Minute Program, serves on the Leadership Team at his church and believes in giving his time to social causes.
Mitch Brown
Retired Police Chief | Oroville Police Department
www.cityoforoville.org/Police/PoliceDepartment.html
Sarah Reynolds
Butte County Farm Bureau
http://butte.cfbf.com
Butte County Farm Bureau was established in 1917, and is currently celebrating our 90th year of service to the community. We are a non-profit, grassroots organization, and are supported by the dues our 2,200 members pay yearly. We are not a government agency! Yearly membership dues paid by our members helps BCFB represent agriculture and rural interests not only at the local levels, but also at the state and national levels as well.
As lawmakers and law enforcement officials intensify their efforts to halt the production and distribution of methamphetamines throughout California, farmers and ranchers urge them to remember the landowners who have been abused by "fly-by-night" clandestine labs. The illegal labs that produce methamphetamine tend to be located in remote farming areas.
The epidemic levels of metal theft and the continued rise in rural crimes such as illegal dumping, vandalism, meth labs and thefts of farm equipment, chemicals, livestock, and crops highlights the need for this effort.
By joining together and improving communication efforts we can take a significant bite out of rural crime.
