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Opioid epidemic highlights Crime Stoppers meeting at Tennessee State University

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Nearly 30 representatives from law enforcement agencies across Middle Tennessee met at Tennessee State University on Feb. 8 for intelligence and information sharing on crime prevention and how to address the state’s opioid crisis.

It was the monthly meeting of Crime Stoppers of Middle Tennessee, which included law enforcement chiefs, officers, detectives and security officers from counties, cities, universities and other jurisdictions in the region. The national opioid epidemic and its impact on the region was a major topic at the gathering.

Trevor Henderson, left, and Nichelle Foster, both from the Metro Health Department, make a presentation on the opioid epidemic, at the Crime Stoppers’ meeting. (Photo by Courtney Buggs, TSU Media Relations)

In a presentation, a team from the Metro Public Health Department reported on the level of abuse in the area. In 2016, the group reported, there were 1,631 overdose deaths in Tennessee. Of that number, 281 were in Davidson County. In overdose cases involving the ER, the group reported that the majority of people affected were between ages 18-44.

“This is very serious,” said Trevor Henderson, opioid coordinator in the Metro Health Department.  “We are doing everything possible to keep bringing those numbers down.”

Nichelle Foster, also from the Metro Health Department, made the presentation with Henderson. Foster is from the Division of Behavioral Health and Wellness. She helps individuals recognize the difference between use, abuse and addiction to determine if the individual has substance use or risky lifestyle issues that need to be addressed in a treatment or educational setting.

Recently, TSU joined the fight to address the state’s opioid epidemic. The university implemented a new overdose prevention program to stop deaths associated with misuse and addiction.

Last month, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced an aggressive and comprehensive plan to end the opioid epidemic in Tennessee by focusing on prevention, treatment and law enforcement. Called TN Together, the plan includes providing every Tennessee state trooper with naloxone (NARCAN) for the emergency treatment of opioid overdose.

Under the TSU initiative, certified university police officers will be able to administer NARCAN Nasal Spray, a prescription medicine used for the treatment of an opioid emergency, such as an overdose. The initiative is in conjunction with Nashville Prevention, a division of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

“Our goal at the TSU Police Department is to minimize the likelihood that someone on our campus dies from an overdose of opiates,” said Aerin Washington, TSUPD’s crime prevention officer, who coordinated the Feb. 8 meeting. “We want to be on the cutting edge of this movement as we strive to serve the community in every aspect that we can.”

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 8,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degree programs and seven doctoral degrees. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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District Attorney General Glenn Funk Touts Safety at Colleges, Universities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk says he wants to work with the state’s colleges and universities to help keep them safe.

Funk spoke at a Crime Stoppers meeting hosted by Tennessee State University on Feb. 11. The meetings are held at a different regional higher education institution or police facility each month, and allow security officials from various law enforcement agencies to come together and share information about criminal incidents that have occurred at surrounding colleges and universities.

“We try to collectively look at the crime that’s happening in our area,” said Thomas Jackson, commander of TSU’s Police Department and the meeting’s organizer. “And brainstorm about what we can do to make our universities and colleges more safe for our students, faculty and staff.”

In the case of TSU, Funk said the DA’s office has designated a person to be a liaison between the university and his office. He said if there’s a criminal issue on the campus, TSU’s leadership can go to that person and they can make prosecutorial decisions together.

“Whatever the issues are, the only way that we can effectively prosecute cases is to make sure that we have an understanding with law enforcement, or with security, in order to make sure that everybody is on the same page going forward,” Funk said. “One of the reasons I wanted to come out here and talk to this group is I want to make sure that every one of your individual agencies knows, my door is open.”

Other issues at the meeting included efforts to educate students about domestic violence, as well as fraudulent activity.

“The sad thing with domestic violence is a lot of them don’t even know the warning signs,” said Aerin Washington, TSU’s crime prevention officer.

She also said a lot of students fall victim to fraudulent activity, like credit card schemes.

“We see quite a bit of it on campus,” Washington said. “And so there’s definitely room to educate our students about just avoiding the risks that are associated with those activities, and just educating them on how to prevent being victim.”

Funk said he plans to attend future Crime Stopper meetings.

“Hopefully I’ll be coming back to sit and listen,” Funk said before the meeting. “This is kind of where the rubber meets the road when it comes to community safety, and community spirit.”

Besides TSU, other higher education institutions that participate in Crime Stoppers include Aquinas College, Belmont University, Cumberland College, Fisk University, Lipscomb University, Meharry Medical College, Middle Tennessee State University, Nashville State Community College, Trevecca Nazarene College, Vanderbilt University and Vol State Community College.

 

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.