[Archived] Question # 39: Please provide the number of days the Detox center was at total capacity, and at capacity for men or women for each CY 2018 and 2019.

Question:

Please provide the number of days the Detox center was at total capacity, and at capacity for men or women for each Calendar Year 2018 and 2019.  (Vice Mayor Bennett-Parker)

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Response:

The total Detox Program capacity is 28 beds: 10 beds are in the traditional 1-7-day detox program (Phase 1) and 18 beds are in the 6-8-week residential treatment program  (Phase 2). Beds are not specifically designated by gender but rather, are used flexibly depending on the gender of persons presenting for treatment. Each bedroom houses only persons of one gender so a bedroom could be utilized as a female bedroom one week and a male bedroom the next, depending on client need. On average, about 70% of all persons requesting admission are men and 30% are women. Though a small number of persons could not be admitted at the time of their initial request, most were offered services within a day or two of their initial requests.  

Refer to Attachment 1 for a listing of APD arrests made for “Drunk In Public” for each day in calendar year 2018 and 2019. The highlighted totals are the dates DCHS notes that the Detox Center was at capacity. The arrest data provided in Attachment 1 are counts of arrests for Drunk In Public for those two calendar years, by day.  These are not arrests made for Drunk In Public because the detox center was at capacity. APD’s Field Reporting Systems does not have a data field that flags if arrests are made for a specific reason, such as the detox center being full. A vendor customization would have to be evaluated in the future if this data were to be tracked. 

Virginia Code Section 18.2-388 and Police Directive 11.17 (Attachment 2) dictate the policy and actions relating to Intoxicated Individuals. 

Steps involved with an intoxicated individual:

1. All intoxicated individuals, per Police Directive 11.17, will be transported to the Alexandria Detoxification Center (Detox) prior to being transported to the Sheriff’s Office at the Detention Center;

a. If the subject is not disorderly and has no other offenses that would require them to be taken to the detention center, then the subject is taken to Detox;
b. If the subject is intoxicated and there is another offense, then they will be taken to the Detention Center.

2. The office will ask the Department of Communications (DECC) to find out if Detox has room. If the answer is yes, the officer will take the subject to Detox and have the Detox staff do an evaluation. Once the determination is made to allow the subject to stay, then the officer will leave the subject there; if the Detox determination is made to remove them, then the officer will take the subject to the detention center.

3. Officers will also attempt to drop the subject home if they live in the City.

4. Officers must receive a “refusal” slip from Detox in order to transport a subject to the Detention Center.

5. Even if the subject is disorderly and Detox refused them, the officer must get that refusal slip and then go to the detention center.

6. If there are warrants or other criminal activity involved, then and only then, can an officer skip going to Detox for a refusal slip and go directly to the Detention Center.

7. The Intoxicated Person’s home residence does not dictate whether they are taken to Detox or not; all intoxicated persons are given the option of going to Detox first prior to the Detention Center.

Printable Version

Attachment 1 – APD Intoxication Arrests
Attachment 2 – APD Directive 11.17