Holmes County Sheriff John Tate is taking a different approach in fulfilling his promise to lessen the hold illicit drugs have on Holmes County families.
“It’s not just a Holmes County problem; it’s a problem everywhere,” said Sheriff Tate. “We have been fighting a war on drugs for decades, and now, we are trying a new approach of fighting the war on addiction.
We are now fighting on the demand side as well as on the supply side. By becoming more recovery-focused, the demand for drugs will decrease, which will help decrease the number of suppliers.”
Sheriff Tate states he has seen first-hand what addiction can do to families – but has also witnessed amazing stories of recovery.
“Personally, I have a cousin who lost her life due to addiction; however, I have also seen people who have fought that battle, overcame it, and are now living life to the fullest.”
“Nearly every family has someone they know who is battling addiction,” he added. “We as law enforcement have a job to protect citizens. This includes protecting addicts from themselves – which often means putting them in jail.”
Nearly every day, someone stops by Sheriff Tate’s office seeking advice to help a loved one suffering from addiction, saying they don’t know what to do.
“While I give advice on some steps to take, in the long run, if a person is addicted and doesn’t want help, the only thing we can do is to try and put them in jail, which will get the addict out of their current environment,” said Sheriff Tate.
“Jail isn’t a cozy place to be, but we now have programs available to inmates that are proving to be successful, such as Celebrate Recovery, the Faith Pod, and the CASE class. We are not naïve, thinking everyone who comes to jail will choose recovery, but we are constantly doing what we can to break the cycle.
For those who truly want help, we do everything we can to provide tools for them to help themselves.”
While some see jail as a destination for those with substance abuse, Sheriff Tate says there are those who have found a new beginning through the life-changing tools available at Holmes County Jail.
“Just because someone goes to jail doesn’t mean that they are at the end of the road,” said Sheriff Tate. “Often, it is just the opposite: they are just at the beginning of getting their life back. It just maybe the first day of their new life living free of drugs. We do prefer people to come in and seek help before they get arrested, but this is not usually the case.”
Sheriff Tate has an open-door policy to everyone in the community – including those dealing with addiction, and he urges addicts to come in and ask for help.
“We are here to help with your problems – but know that if you don’t come forward and seek the help you need, we have no choice but to eventually put you in jail in hope that you will seek the help that you need,” he said.
“It’s about helping those moms and dads, brothers and sisters who are crying out to find help for addicted loved ones and giving them some peace of mind in the hope that they will change their life.”
“I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t rather go to a jail or prison to see their loved one, rather than to go see them at the cemetery.
This is not just a law enforcement problem; it is a community problem, and we all must work together at it. It is not going to happen overnight, but every day we work at it, is one day closer to making a difference.”
To discuss recovery options for yourself or a loved one, contact Sheriff John Tate by stopping by the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, located at 211 N. Oklahoma Street in Bonifay, by calling 850-547-3681 or via email at: sheriff@holmescosheriff.org.
