HEROIN ARRESTS IGNITE CONCERN

Spring Valley Residents Vow To Fight Growing Problem

SPRING VALLEY - Chris Simpson of Spring Valley never thought her 18-year-old
son would have a heroin problem, which he's being treated for at a Rockford
facility.

"I was devastated," she said Monday. "I never thought my child would do
this."

Simpson spoke at a special public meeting called by Alderman Jim "Uda"
Taliano, who asked community members to find ways to eradicate heroin from
the city's streets.

About 150 people came to discuss the problem with the city's Public Health
and Safety Committee.

"There's a very serious problem with heroin use among young people in their
late teens or early 20s," Police Chief Doug Bernabei said before the
meeting. "And it's not just a Spring Valley problem; it's an area problem."

In the past year, two or three people have died in Spring Valley as a result
of heroin use, Bernabei said. Also in that time, city police have made three
arrests for unlawful possession of heroin after traffic stops.

At the close of the meeting, Bernabei and Taliano invited residents to sign
up for a committee that will provide support and assistance to those
involved with heroin.

But preventing teens from becoming addicts was one of the big concerns of
parents Monday.

Laurie Engel of LaSalle said her 20-year-old daughter has a heroin
addiction. She previously had been a straight-A student, which proves any
young person is vulnerable, Engel said.

Simpson said her son's withdrawal symptoms were horrific.

"He would chill so bad, the bed would shake," she said.

Heroin has become the drug of choice among users, in part, Bernabei said,
because it's versatile. It can be injected, smoked or snorted, the latter
being the most popular method. He estimated that 90 percent of the heroin
used in LaSalle and Bureau counties is being purchased on the west side of
Chicago.

Taliano said his campaign is not a "witch hunt" to jail users, but an effort
to put dealers behind bars.

Bernabei concurred. "We want to make the community aware of what they can do
to identify users and what they can do to help. And we want the community to
know what they can do to help law-enforcement agencies identify and arrest
dealers.

"These kids need help - Mom's help, Dad's help, or the help of the
criminal-justice system. We have no sympathy for dealers. A dealer is a
piece of trash who belongs in prison," he said.

Bernabei urged parents to monitor the activities of their children and to be
aware of danger signs, including:

Cell phone use: "Who does your kid call, who calls him?"

Choice of friends: It's a telltale sign, Bernabei said, if youth suddenly
begin hanging out with different friends or groups.

Milage on vehicles: "If your kid's gone for six hours and puts 250 miles on
his car, he's not cruising Spring Valley and Peru," the chief said.

Thefts from homes or garages: There has been a "significant" increase of
items peddled from downstate in Chicago-area pawn shops, Bernabei said.

Lies: "If they're not where they said they'd be, if they're not with people
they said they'd be with, there's a reason."

Bernabei urged area residents to call the Zone 3 Drug Task Force hotline at
(800) 382-3398 to report any concerns or suspected drug activity.