ROTHSCHILD, Wis. – Attorney General Brad Schimel today addressed the Wisconsin attendees at the Wisconsin Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC) annual conference in Rothschild. DEC is a multidisciplinary partnership that assists communities in assessing service needs, coordinating efforts and keeping children safe and free from exposure to dangerous drug environments.

“The DEC conference brings together all those who have a role in protecting the child victims of the drug epidemic: law enforcement, school officials, health care providers, human services, courts, and prosecutors,” said Attorney General Schimel. “As the drug epidemic grows, so does the number of children in Wisconsin’s foster care system. Our most valuable and precious citizens – our children – lose the most when adults around them struggle with addiction.”

From August 7 to 9, nearly 250 conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn about DEC populations, trauma-informed care, generational trauma, child sex trafficking, emerging drug trends, investigating and prosecuting DEC-related neglect cases, available community resources, family treatment court, and other related topics. The conference is supported by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. DOJ Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices of the Western & Eastern Districts of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and the Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association.

The DEC organization is a collaboration between law enforcement, prosecutors, social services, medical personnel, treatment providers, prevention experts, probation and corrections, and first responders dedicated to helping children endangered by substance abuse. DEC ensures that children caught in the abuse, manufacture, and distribution of illicit drugs receive a child-centered approach to receiving help for any emotional or physical damage their caretaker’s actions may have caused.

Wisconsin has 62 DEC programs, which includes 54 counties and 8 tribal communities. Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Cindy Giese is interim president of National DEC and the statewide coordinator for Wisconsin DEC.

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