Jawboning the Battle Against Drugs : Gates Appeals to Businessmen

Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, who once threatened to publicize the names of prominent businessmen who refused to join his war on drugs, backed off somewhat Tuesday after again failing to find an executive willing to head the drive.

Following a private luncheon meeting with an estimated 70 local businessmen, representing some of the largest companies and corporations in Orange County, Gates conceded that no one had taken him up on his call for someone to “step forward” to lead a countywide campaign against alcohol and substance abuse.

‘We Didn’t Get a Leader’

“We need someone in the private sector to step up,” Gates said after the luncheon, which was closed to the press. “We didn’t get a leader. We need someone to step forward personally.”

The meeting, held at the Irvine Marriott Hotel, ended a two-week campaign by Gates to get the business community involved in an effort to wipe out illicit drugs at home and in the workplace. In particular, Gates has been trying to find someone, preferably a well-known Orange County businessman, to lead in galvanizing public and business support.

In a press conference Oct. 14, Gates had challenged businessmen to join his high-profile anti-drug battle and angrily threatened to publicize the names of corporate executives who failed to attend Tuesday’s luncheon.

“I am going to find out where they stand,” Gates had said. “We cannot afford to ignore it any longer. If there is an empty seat, I am going to wonder where they stand.”

In a reference to the late actor John Wayne, Gates went on to say that there must be a “Duke” in the corporate world willing to champion the effort to curb drug abuse.

Of the 110 executives invited to Tuesday’s luncheon, 70 attended. Still, according to participants, Gates took a more conciliatory approach during his speech and did not mention the empty seats.

Afterward, Gates downplayed his earlier threat to publicly embarrass businessmen who failed to attend the luncheon seminar.

“I’m not interested in releasing any names,” he said. “I think the goal we set out to accomplish today was successful.”

The sheriff speculated that many of those who failed to attend had previous appointments and said that it was his understanding that they were in accord with what he was trying to accomplish.

The only reference Gates made to his earlier statements came when he apologized for the tone of the invitation letter sent to the 110 corporate executives, which challenged them to “stand up and publicly commit themselves and their company to win this war.”

The letter had asked those attending to join Gates at a press conference after the luncheon in a symbolic show of unity. Other than Donald F. Burns--president of the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council, the host agency for the drug forum--not one executive joined Gates.

Participants, however, said Gates did distribute pledge cards asking them to publicly commit themselves and their companies to the war on drugs. Businessmen were also asked to come up with ideas on how the corporate world could best help law enforcement combat drug use among employees.

In his speech, Gates called for a comprehensive educational program to warn people of the danger of abusing alcohol and other drugs. Citing the large cocaine seizures made by a joint federal, state and county police task force, Gates said Orange County and Los Angeles have now surpassed Miami as the largest cocaine distribution points in the United States.

He also said that:

- About 70% of all crime in Orange County is related to drugs. In the last 10 1/2 months, there have been 142 deaths in Orange County tied to drug abuse.

- The typical drug abuser has a full-time job and one year of college. And cocaine is the drug of choice for an estimated 90% of people who use drugs at work.

- Since January, 4,512 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $240 million has been confiscated in Orange County alone. This is just a minute portion of the total being bought and sold here.

Gates also called for businesses to do more to make sure their offices and factories are free of drugs and said he supported drug testing. Distributed to participants was a binder that included a fact sheet advising companies on how to develop a drug policy.

The fact sheet was written by the private Tustin-based consulting firm Situation Management Inc., which lists Gates as a member of its advisory board. The company also supplied a questionnaire on drug policy and attitudes that the executives were asked to complete and return to the sheriff’s office.

Gates said he saw no conflict of interest in sitting as a board member of a company that advises other firms on how to develop and institute drug programs.

“I wish I had a 100 of those companies, and I’d sit on all their boards,” he said.

Reaction among those who attended the forum seemed positive, with many participants expressing surprise at the statistics used by Gates to show the seriousness of the drug problem.

Ron Roth, an executive with Nutrilite Products, said his company started a drug testing program for prospective employees four years ago.

“It seems that of the ones who test positive, 98% of them have been smoking marijuana,” Roth said. “The other 2 or 3% is cocaine or something else.”

John Klug, president of American Pacesetter, a 200-employee Newport Beach firm, said his company had no drug policy but is planning to adopt one after hearing estimates that 14-30% of the employees at any given company may abuse drugs while on the job.

“We hadn’t felt we had much of a problem in our company,” he said. “I think it’s (estimates on workplace drug abuse) is high, but how do you know?”