After over a decade in law enforcement, this is where I find myself. I’ve watched as the communities I serve have deteriorated, ravaged by the insatiable demand for narcotics. I’ve arrested friends, schoolmates, their parents, and relatives. I’ve placed people I know in body bags, zipped them up, and carried them to the back of a hearse. I’ve knocked on doors at 2 a.m. to tell a parent their child has died. I’ve held mothers and fathers as they cried on my shoulder. The only thing that has not changed is the ever-growing demand for drugs.

I’ve watched this evolution firsthand: from prescription pills, primarily Xanax and OxyContin, to heroin, then crack, meth, fentanyl, and now Xylazine. For the record, an overdose from Xylazine cannot be reversed by Narcan. The drugs have only become stronger and more lethal over time. Just a few weeks ago, I seized what I thought was fentanyl, but it tested positive for meth and cocaine.

Despite decades of the so-called “War on Drugs” in our communities, with the creation of programs like Drug Court and specialized task forces such as the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA), why has the problem only worsened? Despite all the taxpayers’ money spent, why have we failed to get ahead of the issue, either as a community or through law enforcement? It’s certainly not from a lack of trying.

One of the most frustrating aspects of law enforcement is watching this tide rise and struggling to fight it. I’ve seen younger and younger people—some as young as 15—begin using these deadly narcotics. Last year, approximately 191 people died from drug overdoses every day in the U.S. That’s the occupancy of a commuter jet. If a plane crashed every day and killed 191 people, there would be national outrage. Yet these deaths are quiet, largely ignored, and brushed aside. The victims are dehumanized, often labeled as “junkies” or “addicts.” It’s easier for society to ignore the death of a “junkie” than the death of their 16-year-old neighbor.

I patrol rural Maine, in a very small town, and I’ve investigated cases of young girls from our community being trafficked into cities like Boston, New York, and those in New Jersey. They are forced into prostitution to pay off drug debts. We have a very real problem.

I’ve seen the growing number of drug traffickers coming into our communities, bringing their poison with them. When these criminals are caught, excuses are made by the District Attorney and Attorney General’s offices about why the cases are “too difficult to prosecute.” As a result, they often plead to lesser charges, and the criminals go free. In over a decade, I have yet to see a case go to trial.

Some prosecutors seem to forget that police work isn’t always perfect or clean. It’s not like the made-for-TV movies where everything goes smoothly and there are no mistakes. And when I say this, I’m not referring to law enforcement breaking laws—I’m speaking to the fact that not every case is handled flawlessly, and that’s part of the reality of criminal investigations.

I’ve seen elected government officials reduce the criminal penalties for certain narcotics offenses. While I’m not opposed to offering second chances, we’ve gone from giving second chances to giving fourth, even thirteenth, chances.

For me, at the heart of it all, however, is a deeper issue—the abuse and neglect of children. Parents who are addicted to drugs will often abuse their children. Some will even pimp out their young daughters, while others simply abandon their children to fend for themselves. Some will allow their children to be abused because the abuser provides drugs. As the drug epidemic has risen, so too has child abuse. It’s no coincidence.

While some may point to a slight decline in overdose deaths in Maine, I would add this: Narcan is widely available and free, and while I support that, it’s being used at an alarming rate. I’d like to know how much Narcan is being consumed each year and how those numbers have increased or decreased. At many overdose deaths I’ve responded to, there are multiple empty Narcans. These are merely delaying, not preventing, anything.

What needs to happen is for our elected officials to come together for a real, productive conversation about this issue. We need to move beyond partnerships and start seeing tangible results. And if they can’t do that, we—the people—need to hold them accountable. It’s time to go to their offices, pack their belongings in cardboard boxes, load the back of their vehicles, and send them away.

This problem is killing us. It’s killing our communities. It’s killing our state.

-Just a cop