, Protecting Arizona's ChildrenArizona Attorney General Terry Goddard

Overview

Young boy profile imageThe Meth & Kids Task Force was established in 2000 to address the problems associated with methamphetamine production in homes with children through a coordinated response by prosecutors, law enforcement, Child Protective Services (CPS) and medical personnel.

Increased production of meth in home-based drug labs confront Arizona with a unique set of problems that other illegal drugs have never before presented. The chemicals used to manufacture meth, the production process and the waste generated as a result of that process pose very real and serious dangers to the public and the environment. These dangers include toxic poisoning, chemical and thermal burns, fires and explosions. The children who live in and around meth labs are at the greatest risk of harm due to their developmental nature; the abuse and neglect perpetrated on them by their caretakers and the many others who frequent their drug-laden homes; and their inability to protect themselves.

A coordinated, multi-disciplinary team approach is critical to ensure that the needs of child victims are met and that adequate information is available to prosecute drug and child abuse cases successfully. The DEC Program has coordinated and improved the efforts of local law enforcement, CPS, medical professionals and the Attorney General’s Office to respond to meth labs where children are present and to prosecute those responsible.

The DEC Program has developed a model interagency protocol for the investigation of meth lab cases with children involved.

Initially, the primary focus of the Meth & Kids Task Force was on meth lab cases in Maricopa County. Task Force members also provided training and technical assistance to agencies throughout the State. The Governor’s Division of Substance Abuse Policy provided funding, which enabled the Attorney General’s Office to dedicate a prosecutor and legal assistant to the DEC Program.

Under the leadership of Attorney General Terry Goddard, the Meth & Kids Task Force was renamed the Arizona Drug Endangered Children Program in 2003, to include a broader range of narcotics cases that involve charges of child endangerment when children have been present. Building on its success in Maricopa County, efforts continue through training and technical assistance to expand the DEC Program throughout Arizona.