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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Commander Joe McGee, the new executive director of Compact and commander for the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, during Camp Journey at Oak Mountain Intermediate School on June 13.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Commander Joe McGee, the new executive director of Compact and commander for the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, speaks with rising sixth graders William Dunham, 11, and Izzy Askew, 11, about what they are learning during Camp Journey at Oak Mountain Intermediate School on June 13.
A Shelby County drug prevention program dedicated to proactively helping at-risk youth is making a difference in the community, its leader says.
Capt. Joe McGee, a 20-plus-year veteran of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, was promoted in late 2022 to executive director of the Compact program, which was formed in 2017, and has already seen success and growth.
McGee said he was excited to have the opportunity to become Compact’s executive director and is the third executive director in the program’s history.
“I became the commander of the drug enforcement task force in November, and a month later, I was named to this position,” he said.
“It is an honor to be a part of the program.”
With narcotics enforcement experience in Shelby County and Birmingham, McGee said his two positions go hand in hand.
“I’ve seen the effects that drugs have on the people of our community and our community as a whole,” he said. “I strongly believe if we can proactively reach our youth, that has one of the biggest impacts in fighting the drug problem.”
McGee holds a master of science degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville, a bachelor’s degree in leadership from Bellevue University and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Jefferson State Community College. He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s 120th Administrative Officers Course. McGee is also a graduate of the 2012 Leadership Shelby County class.
McGee was hired by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in 1999. As a deputy sheriff, he served as a patrol deputy, criminal investigator, departmental instructor, honor guard member and member of the tactical response unit. In 2004, McGee was promoted to sergeant. As a sergeant, he served as a patrol supervisor, agency training coordinator, Tactical Response Unit team leader and supervisor at the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force. In 2012, McGee was promoted to lieutenant and assigned as a patrol watch commander. He was later appointed as the assistant division commander of the Patrol Division until his promotion to captain in December 2022.
McGee said narcotics investigations had been an interest of his since starting his law enforcement career as a reserve deputy in Shelby County in 1994.
About Compact
Compact is a collaborative community drug intervention and education program designed to provide information and support to all citizens throughout Shelby County. It is led by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Shelby County Manager’s Office, McGee said.
The program utilizes career law enforcement officers from 11 different agencies with a footprint in Shelby County who are specialized investigators, in an attempt to gather information from school resource officers, coaches, teachers, parents and community leaders in hopes of identifying students and young adults who are at risk of or already involved in substance use.
Compact investigators compile actionable intelligence, not for an arrest, but to schedule a meeting with parents or guardians. Compact investigators share information with parents and then connect them with proven resources to help address this challenge.
Some of those resources may include:
- Other families who have been through this challenge and who are willing to work with them and answer questions.
- Faith leaders from the community who have volunteered to help.
- Family counseling services.
- Specialized mental health and substance use services, such as those offered by Chilton Shelby Mental Health.
“The program has been successful since its launch in 2017,” McGee said. “It’s made a positive impact on many students, young adults and their families. I’ve seen that over the years, and I’ve seen it since taking over as executive director of the program in December.”
While McGee said success stories prove the program has had a positive impact, it is difficult to say the exact impact.
“It’s hard to say with the absence of Compact what that would mean for drug enforcement in Shelby County,” he said. “There’s no way for us to know exactly what kind of impact Compact has had, and we don’t always see immediate results, but we are building relationships that we think will last and benefit everyone involved.”
The work for the investigators for Compact is prevention and they do not make arrests through Compact and its investigations.
One of the biggest impacts made by Compact is through individual partnering cities as Community Prevention Teams. The program follows a proven model of successful community engagement created by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. Each partnering community has assembled a working team representing twelve sectors:
- Parents
- Business leaders
- Media
- School leaders
- Youth-serving organizations
- Law enforcement
- Civic organizations
- Faith leaders
- Healthcare professionals
- Government leaders
- Substance abuse organizations
- Youth
Expanding the program
Compact has seen the addition of a new community in recent weeks, as Vestavia Hills joined the group in early June.
“We are happy to have Vestavia Hills on board, and we hope to see more cities join Compact,” McGee said.
McGee added that the biggest way community members can help Compact is to contact their city officials and ask them to look into joining the program.
“We would like to have any city with a footprint in Shelby County to join in our efforts,” he said.
Expanding to other parts of the state or nation is something else McGee said he would like to see.
“I would be happy to talk to other law enforcement agencies to assist them in any way with creating a similar program,” he said. “Compact is unique to Shelby County, but we would love to see others start up similar programs to positively impact more communities.”
There to help
McGee said if a parent or other adult knows a child is involved in substance misuse, they should call Compact and speak with them directly so they can ask any questions and provide resources available to help. Young people needing help are also encouraged to call the same number.
“If they will let us know what is going on, we will do what we can to help,” he said.
“It’s a major issue in any community,” McGee said. “I have had the opportunity to see that in my time in Shelby County and during my time with the Birmingham Police Department in its vice unit. I knew when I entered law enforcement that I wanted to do my part in fighting the problem.”
More information is available by calling Compact at 205-670-0436, visiting its website at compact2020.org or contacting the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at 205-670-5100.
