Melissa Blasius
12 News Phoenix
March 6, 2008
Phoenix police records show officers have been called to a teen residential treatment center nearly 500 times in the last five years.
12 News obtained the records detailing police calls for service as part of an ongoing investigation into Devereux Arizona, located near Cactus and 64th Street. The facility treats adolescents with addiction problems, histories of domestic abuse or psychiatric problems. advertisement
The bulk of the police calls between January 2003 and January 2008 related to runaway youth. There were also 112 assault calls, 23 fights, four calls involving abuse or molestation, two attempted suicides and 2 stabbing or cutting incidents.
"If they are calling 9-1-1 as a result of trying to protect health and safety that's a good thing," says Alan Oppenheim from the State Health Services Department. "But, if there is an inordinate number of calls, then we'll track them and organize them. We may have to call the facility in or make a visit out there to see why there are so many."
A former Devereux employee says clients rebel, in part, because staff is inadequately trained to deal with the severely troubled kids. "They are very intense behaviors, and I don't think Devereux in Arizona is equipped for them," says Heather Buffett. She says she worked at the Arizona facility for 6 months after transferring from a Florida treatment center. Buffett, who's Canadian, adds she was forced to leave Devereux when her work visa expired.
Devereux's executive director emailed 12 News Thursday morning saying she would be in meetings all day and could not comment on the story. During a prior interview in January, she told 12 News employees either have degrees in behavioral health or have several years of experience. She says all employees undergo two weeks of training when they are hired.
