Posted by RachelGlenn

My father is addicted to oxycontin and methadone. He constantly drives while under the influence of these substances. How can I prevent this and how can I make all local police agencies aware of him and his driving while under the influence. I DO NOT care if he goes to jail. I want him off the road!

Dear Rachel,

This situation of watching your father with his addiction must be very difficult for you. As hard as this may be, you are being responsible. You father’s judgment is obviously impaired and when talking to him as a daughter has had no effect, he leaves you no choice but to call someone who will stop his behavior.

If you live in the city, you could call our non-emergency number and talk to a dispatcher. The first thing the dispatcher will ask you is how you know he is under the influence and to describe his symptoms. The dispatcher is not being uncooperative; it is just that he/she needs to establish that there is a need for an officer to respond. It is not illegal to be under the influence in your own home, unless he is taking a prescription that was not prescribed to him by a physician. If he is taking a drug that is not prescribed to him, the dispatcher could send a unit out to contact your father. At that time, the officer could contact your father and determine whether he is prescribed the medications that he is taking. If he is legitimately prescribed the medicine, the officer could talk to him about the ramifications of his driving under the influence. The officer could do a premise history on his residence to let other officers know that we were dispatched to his residence and his history of drug abuse. If your father is on probation/parole, he is in violation of his terms by using drugs if they are not legitimately prescribed by a physician.

If a doctor is prescribing these drugs, and your father is abusing them, the physician and or the medical board should be notified. There are strict controls on these schedule II drugs. If your father is addicted to these medications, he needs medical help through a treatment program. If your father’s doctor is prescribing these medications irresponsibly, he/she needs to be held accountable. If he is purchasing them illicitly, you can contact our narcotic unit and speak to a narcotics detective or leave a message on our tip line at 808-5796 with your information. A detective will then contact you and investigate who may be providing these drugs.

If you observe your father driving and know him to be under the influence, call 911. Have the license plate, your father’s physical description, the description of the vehicle, and the direction of travel available. The dispatcher will air the information to district units who can perform a vehicle stop.

If your father has a suspended license, and he is caught driving, we will tow his car and impound it for 30 days. If he in fact is under the influence of a narcotic while driving, the penalties are the same as a DUI involving alcohol. If he is driving with a passenger, there are additional endangerment charges as well, especially if there is a child in the vehicle.

I hope that I have been able to help you. You could possibly save someone’s life by reporting this. If anything, you could be saving your father’s life. In any event, you are taking the first step to ending this cycle. Take care.

Officer Michelle