Pubdate: 06 Oct, 1997 Source: Los Angeles Daily News Private Eye an Ally Vs. Drug Use; Discreet, Early Intervention the Key The 12yearold Thousand Oaks boy began doing poorly in school and coming home with a glazed look, red eyes and reeking of a strange, pungent odor. His mother feared her son was using drugs, but she didn't want to confront him with just suspicions. So she sought the help of a discreet specialist in drug abuse and detection a private investigator. "She found a pipe in the house and we sent it off to the lab," said Russ Whitmeyer. "It came back positive for marijuana." Armed with proof, Whitmeyer brought the boy and his mother to his Ventura office six months ago for a frank discussion. The youngster quickly admitted he was using drugs and apologized to his mother. "There had been a lot of concern on the part of the parents and now that it was in the open, both the child and parents were extremely grateful to be able to deal with it effectively," he said. Whitmeyer refused to name the family because that is the essence of his job discreetly resolving families' substance abuse problems in the strictest of confidences. A former narcotics detective with the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Whitmeyer says he has handled about 60 such cases in the past year for clients in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties, some involving children as young as 9 years old. He also has intervened twice in situations where adults wanted to help their drugabusing spouses. Both efforts failed, he said. The addictions were so ingrained that the only solution was divorce. Whitmeyer says that illustrates a basic point: The earlier drug use is caught, the easier it is to stop. "We usually have good results, but it depends on how deeply a kid is involved with drugs," he said. "For example, with a kid who's 11 (years old) and experimenting with pot, you have a much better chance to intervene and turn that behavior around than you do with a 16yearold who's been using cocaine and methamphetamine and is tolerant to the drugs." So far, early intervention has proven successful for the 12yearold Thousand Oaks boy, who was referred to drug counseling, he said. Whitmeyer says he recommends treatment only in cases of addiction. Clients pay $50 an hour for this kind of service which includes investigating and evaluating a drug problem and recommending a solution. In addition to his background and expertise, Whitmeyer has one unique service to offer clients. He holds state and federal licenses to possess narcotics, which prove useful when he sends suspected drugs or paraphernalia to a laboratory for testing. Whitmeyer's longtime friend and former colleague, Chief Deputy Kenneth Kipp of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, said Whitmeyer has an impeccable reputation in the law enforcement and private security communities and is regarded as one of the foremost experts in the field of illegal drugs. Kipp said that the best way to tackle teen drug problems is to involve as much of the community as possible: family, church and schools and private investigators. "The environment young adults face today is just flooded with temptations," said Kipp, who supervises the county's detention services. "Early intervention with substance abuse for young adults is not only necessary, it's critical." Whitmeyer, 54, born and raised in Camarillo, joined the Sheriff's Department as a deputy in 1964 and quickly began specializing in narcotics cases. He worked as an undercover cop and later testified as an expert in more than 600 state and federal drug cases. Whitmeyer left the force in 1976 and started his own company, Russ Whitmeyer and Associates, a firm that pioneered the systematic drug testing of employees at businesses, large and small. He had to curtail his long days and frequent traveling following a February 1996 onthejob accident when he fell through the floor of a Ventura business. The injury to his right shoulder and three subsequent surgeries prompted Whitmeyer and his wife, Leta, also a substance abuse expert, to focus on the less physically demanding task of helping families deal with drug problems. Whitmeyer says there is a tremendous need for this type of private, early intervention. "Put yourself in the position of a parent. Where do they go for help?" he said. "They are reluctant to go to law enforcement for obvious reasons. They could go to a counselor, but first the counselor needs to know the scope of the problem. "This is an alternative, a very private alternative."