ENFORCING LAWS, HELPING ADDICTS

SERIES NOTE: This is the second installment in a two-day series
examining the growing problem of heroin abuse across McHenry County.

Fatal drug overdoses continue to creep across the nation, more often
in suburban America than many think.

In McHenry County, heroin-related deaths have nearly tripled in the
past year - from six in 2007 to at least 16 in 2008. And because
heroin metabolizes quickly in the blood, there might be more deaths
caused than are reported.

A decade of county death records reveals only one other year with
double-digit cases. That was in 2003, when 10 people died from heroin
overdoses.

Since 2000, most of the annual handful of victims have been in their
mid-20s to early 30s.

Although drug-related fatalities account for only a small portion of
county-wide deaths, local authorities say the problem remains significant.

"I graduated from high school in 1989, and I remember we never even
saw heroin or knew anything about it," McHenry County Deputy Coroner
Robert Locke said. "When you thought of a junkie, you thought of a
guy on skid row, you didn't think of kids in high school."

Today, law enforcement efforts and treatment options for heroin
addicts are ever-changing, while awareness remains a top concern for
stopping the problem.

Tougher enforcement

"Heroin had its time probably over a decade ago and has made a
resurgence in the area," said Lt. Andy Zinke, head of criminal
investigations with the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

"We're trying to find the sources the best we can," Zinke said.

Zinke said heroin use in recent years had been tied to dozens of
burglary cases, with addicts stealing from others to feed their
habits. Many drug cases occur in the McHenry area, Zinke noted, but
the heroin problem spans the county.

Wonder Lake Police Chief David Mahlke keeps an office collection of
drug paraphernalia as a reminder of past busts for heroin and other
drugs - as well as a way to show parents what their children might be
hiding from them.

Throughout Mahlke's police career, he's arrested several heroin
addicts who had been traveling from Chicago or Rockford with purchases in tow.

Dealers and addicts frequently try to find new ways to avoid
drug-sniffing dogs, Mahlke said, making arrests more difficult for police.

"Some of these guys have been arrested numerous times, and they
become smarter," Mahlke said. "They know how to hide it."

But more arrests today often lead to more prosecutions. Authorities
have increased power to target someone who provided, sold or injected
drugs in overdose cases.

Two significant heroin-related cases in McHenry County recently led
to the prosecution of two drug dealers - one, a Chicago dealer who
sold drugs that killed a McHenry woman, and the other, a Huntley
dealer who gave drugs to a Carpentersville acquaintance that later
put her into a coma.

The Chicago dealer faces 15 to 30 years in prison, while the Huntley
dealer is hoping for boot camp instead of a lengthy term.

McHenry County State's Attorney Lou Bianchi said he hoped to soon
establish a drug court to get to the "heart of the problem," which
would place addicts through an intensive supervisory program.

"It gives people charged with drugs a greater opportunity to
recover," Bianchi said. "The whole purpose of a drug court is to make
a difference in the cycle of drug abuse, and the ability to help
those who really can't help themselves."

Getting treatment

When an overdose victim is rushed by another addict to the emergency
room at Centegra Hospital - McHenry, it's typically a "dump and run" situation.

"We've had instances where someone will pull up to the emergency room
doors, where they say, 'I need help; my friend's not breathing,' and
then leave," said Karen Battaglia, a trauma nurse coordinator.

Paramedics access the airway, start an IV, and give the person a
medication called Narcan to help reverse the overdose's effects.

Sometimes, CPR is needed to revive an overdose victim. In rare cases,
it's already too late.

Although no inpatient drug rehabilitation centers exist in McHenry
County, Centegra Health System offers a partial hospitalization
program for addictions, medical detoxification, and chemical
dependency evaluations.

Some counties use clinics that administer methadone - a synthetic
narcotic that suppresses opiate withdrawal symptoms - but McHenry
County does not.

Instead, the Family Service and Community Mental Health Center for
McHenry County serves as one outlet for addicts with intensive
outpatient programs. Individual counseling also is available, along
with Suboxone medications, which curb cravings to reduce drug use.

Chris Gleason, the center's director of substance abuse services,
said the number of clients in the heroin-specific group that he ran
had jumped from six to 10.

"I've got moms; I've got people who just went through a year of
college," he said.

Addiction to heroin is a long recovery process, Gleason added.
Honesty is the first step.

But because heroin is more available here than it was a few years
ago, Gleason said, many addicts continue to get "door-to-door
service," which makes it harder to kick.

Increasing awareness

Kathy Pokorny, owner of A New Way of Life Inc. in Cary, said 10 years
in the drug field had shown her that more education could help some
addicts and their families.

"I think people are sometimes more concerned with the type of oil
they put in their car than the dangerous drugs they put in their
bodies," said Pokorny, the sole addiction counselor at the outpatient
substance abuse center. "I don't know if parents even know how high
the heroin use is in the area, or how dangerous it is."

A few years ago, the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition, made
up of treatment providers and families, visited area high schools
with a heroin awareness package. The group, run by Gleason, continues
to meet monthly to discuss additional ways of educating youth about drugs.

"From talking to my clients, a lot of them said heroin was the best
thing they ever found in their life," Gleason said. "But it's caused
them more harm than it's caused good."

Gene Goeglein, regional superintendent for McHenry County schools,
said local schools regularly presented drug education programs
through D.A.R.E., Red Ribbon Week, and individual health units. Many
staff also have professional training in addressing substance abuse problems.

But schools "can't all do it alone," he said.

"We're but one part," Goeglein said. "It's working with our law
enforcement, our legislators, our parents and all the resources we
have out there to keep the message in front of our kids that it is
bad, it is wrong, and we do care."

Where to turn

To get help or find treatment services near you, call the McHenry
County Crisis Line at 1-800-892-8900 or visit www.mchenry-crisis.org.

For heroin overdoses - symptoms include convulsions, pinpoint pupils,
clammy skin or shallow breathing - immediately dial 9-1-1.

Heroin fast facts

Heroin, an opium derivative, is highly addictive and the most widely
abused and rapidly acting of the opiates.

Stemming from morphine itself, heroin was marketed to help Civil
War-era soldiers as a "safe" way to kick morphine addictions.

In 2006, more than 3.7 million Americans ages 12 or older reported
using heroin at least once in their lifetime.

That same year, heroin contributed to nearly 190,000 emergency room visits.

An annual average of 2.7 million Americans ages 12 or older attend a
self-help group because of their use of illicit drugs.

Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy, Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services

McHenry County drug crime arrest comparison

Year -Rate per 100,000 - Total drug arrests - Controlled substances -
Hypodermic needles

2007 400.8 1,252 232 26

2006 440.1 1,338 311 19

% change -8.9 -6.4 -25.4 -36.8

Source: Crime in Illinois 2007, Annual Uniform Crime Report