United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DAYTON, Ohio - The DEA announced today that Dayton will be the next “360 Strategy” city to take part in a comprehensive law enforcement and prevention effort that’s designed to assist communities dealing with the heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic.
Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the DEA’s Detroit Field Division, and ­­­­Ben Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, announced this strategy today.

Joining DEA and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the announcement were Dayton Chief of Police Richard Biehl; Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer; Bruce Langos, of the Montgomery County Drug Free Coalition; Terence Hayes of the Boys and Girls Club of Dayton; the Office of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine; and several other organizations involved in the law enforcement, medical, and substance abuse prevention and treatment communities.

DEA’s Plancon said, “We are striving to find innovative strategies to confront the opioid epidemic. DEA is collaborating with professionals from law enforcement, drug prevention, drug treatment, and the medical community, to attack this problem on multiple fronts.”

The DEA 360 Degree Strategy comprises a three-fold approach to fighting drug traffickers and the current opioid abuse epidemic:

• Enforcement - Law enforcement working together to target drug trafficking organizations supplying opioids in the greater Dayton area.  These efforts will include a strategy to specifically address those traffickers that supply opioids resulting in fatal and non-fatal and overdoses.  
• Pharmaceutical Diversion Control - Through engagement with drug manufacturers, wholesalers, physicians and pharmacists we will increase awareness of the heroin and prescription drug problem and push for responsible prescribing and use of these medications throughout the medical community.
• Community Outreach - By partnering with medical professionals, governmental and community service organizations and community coalitions we plan to proactively educate the public of the dangers of prescription drug and heroin abuse, and to guide individuals to treatment services when needed.  We want people to know that addiction does not have to be the end; treatment and recovery can be effective.    

“The community outreach portion of this initiative is critical to long term success in reducing drug use and addiction,” Plancon said. “We need to work relentlessly to find ways to effectively communicate to our community members the risks and dangers of drug use if we are going to slow the rates of drug abuse, addiction, overdose and death, over the long term.” 

Officials will work to form a community alliance that will comprise key leaders from law enforcement, prevention, treatment, the judicial system, education, business, government, civic organizations, faith communities, media, and social services, to form the foundation of a long-term group that will help carry the prevention and treatment messages throughout metropolitan Dayton.    

By bringing together experts in substance abuse and prevention, the DEA 360 Strategy aims, in part, to address the opioid and heroin threat posed to the community by focusing on providing resources and programs designed to educate youth and those most influential to youth including; parents, caregivers, and educators to the harms of drug abuse.

In the future, DEA and its partners also plan to host summits, such as the “The Power of You” conference which will be held at Wright State University, on October 16th. These events aim to bring the community together to bring attention to the issue, and look for sustainable, impactful ways to address drug abuse, addiction, trafficking and the violence that accompanies it.

Plancon stated, “DEA’s 360 Strategy recognizes that we need to utilize every resource possible to reach as many people as possible, if we are to achieve long term success in combating the opioid epidemic.”