IS HEROIN A PROBLEM IN TROY? (TDN; 9/4/2014) Police chief gives drug statistics to council by Melanie Yingst myingst@civitasmedia TROY — Is there a heroin problem in the city of Troy? The short answer is yes, according to Troy Police Department’s Chief Charles Phelps. Phelps fielded questions from Troy City Council members after a presentation about the highly addictive drug use in the city at Tuesday night’s council meeting. President Martha Baker requested a report from the chief of police this summer for council. “The answer to the obvious question is yes, there is heroin in the city of Troy without a doubt,” Phelps said. Phelps said heroin usage has been trending upward since 2008 around the nation. Approximately 61 overdoses were reported in the city of Troy in 2013, Phelps said. “We are pretty much on par or exceeding that today,” Phelps said. Phelps said Troy Fire Department medics have administrated Narcan, a drug which reserves heroin effects, more than 29 times so far this year. “That compares to 46 uses of Narcan all of last year,” Phelps said. “In fact last weekend (Labor Day weekend), they had three occasions to use Narcan just over the holiday weekend.” In the city of Troy, six people have died of heroin overdoses since January, which compares to seven in 2013. Phelps said if one searching the Troy P.D. database for heroin-related calls, the city of Troy fields five calls per week related to the drug or some issue related to heroin use. Phelps said the number does not include the shoplifting and other thefts users do to fuel their habit. Phelps said the city of Troy is average in law enforcement calls in sur- rounding communities. “We are not by any means a drug center,” Phelps said. Phelps said Troy Police Department is addressing the heroin issue through drug avoidance programs to prevent use in the first place; patrolling more aggressively; detectives using more proactive tactics; and working with regional law enforcement to pool resources. “There are challenges to drug investigations, especially heroin investigations,” Phelps said. Phelps said the community can help by being vigilant in their neighbors and to report suspicious activities in and around their homes. Phelps said people can report anomalously (anonymously) to 911 when they suspect drug activity in their neighborhood. Phelps said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine visited Troy and gathered local law enforcement officials to launch a campaign to inform the public of the growing epidemic. “He made the comment that no city or county is exempt from heroin use in the state of Ohio and he was more than right in that assumption,” Phelps said. Phelps said more than 900 Ohioans died due to heroin or opiate use in 2013. “On average, there were five overdoses a day,” Phelps said. “It’s really a national and even international (issue),” said Phelps, noting Mexican drug cartels are using its former cocaine trafficking patterns to move heroin today. President Martha Baker asked Phelps if Troy Police Department plans on carrying Narcan like other communities have been doing. Phelps said the practice of law enforcement carrying Narcan is still new. Phelps said on March 11, 2013, laws were passed to provide immunity if an officer attempts to administer Narcan and the subject does not survive, and a second legislation death with allowing police departments to buy Narcan directly from the pharmaceutical sources. The legalization’s came from Project DAWN which was enacted by Gov. John Kasich. Project DAWN is a community-based overdose education and naloxone distribution program. Project DAWN participants receive training on: recognizing the signs and symptoms of overdose; distinguishing between different types of overdose; performing rescue breathing; calling emergency medical services; and administering intranasal Naloxone(.) Phelps said several concerns surround around officers carrying Narcan including storage, shelf life and availability, but he would continue to look in to the idea. “We do have the advantage having rapid response of our EMTs services in our community. Our EMTs are there pretty quickly,” Phelps said. “I think the number of Narcan uses and the number of deaths we’ve had just this year, indicates how effective those EMT services are.” Baker asked Phelps if the police department needed any resources from city council to fight the heroin problem. Phelps responded that the department was not in need of additional resources at the present time. “Not at this time m’am (maam) ... We’re just going to keep working with it, working with our resources we have,” he said. Phelps said he and other local law enforcement meet regularly to discuss and share information to combat the heroin problem in the region. Council member(s) each asked a variety of questions in regards to demographics of the users, how it consumed and how to implement or improve Troy’s neighborhood watch programs to help combat theft and other drug related crimes. Phelps said if a Troy resident is interested in neighborhood watch program information or resources, to contact Captain Joe Long at the Troy Police Department at 937-339-7525. Melanie Yingst can be reached at myingst@civitasmedia or follow her on Twitter @ Troydailynews
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 10:26:55 +0000
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