PAPER'S 'HEROIN TOWN' SERIES GETS WILLIMANTIC NEW AID

WILLIMANTIC - U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, is requesting
federal aid to battle a major drug problem in the city.

Simmons said Wednesday that he would seek assistance from the Office
of National Drug Control Policy to address a drug crisis that is being
chronicled this week in the Hartford Courant.

"This problem has devastating consequences for the people of
Willimantic and in surrounding communities," Simmons said in a news
release. "It is also indicative of a national crisis. These substances
neither begin nor end their journey in eastern Connecticut.

"By providing local enforcement and community organizations with the
tools to combat this scourge, we will strangle an otherwise vibrant
lifeline of drug trafficking and make our streets safer," he said.

In his letter to the national drug policy office, Simmons said
Willimantic, a small town of fewer than 20,000 residents, has become a
stopping point for drug traffickers who operate in and south of New
York City. He said drug dealers are attracted to the city because of a
lack of adequate police presence.

Willimantic social workers counsel hundreds of addicts daily, and many
women resort to prostitution to fund their drug habits, Simmons said.

Willimantic police handle the same caseload as cities 10 times its
size and report a variety of illegal substances ranging from heroin,
cocaine and LSD to methamphetamines and other hallucinogens, he said.

"Drugs and illicit trade have destroyed the vitality of the community
and placed a heavy burden on residents and law enforcement officials,"
Simmons wrote.

Simmons said the federal funds would be used to allow police to boost
their coverage, coordinate with national drug enforcement efforts,
introduce national drug education efforts and establish an independent
task force to investigate the effects of drug addiction in Willimantic
and surrounding communities.

The money also would help Willimantic community and health
organizations, such as the Windham Clinic, to treat and rehabilitate
addicts.