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Milton police spread the word about addiction

MILTON — It was the perfect spring evening in Milton.

Across from the high school, kids played soccer at Schilberg Park. Yellow and red tulips and daffodils bounced in a gentle breeze, and birds announced to the world that they were happy to be alive.

It was the kind of evening where it was hard to be inside.

It was even harder to imagine that somewhere in Milton, a friend or a schoolmate could be trapped in a world where nice spring evenings mean nothing.

Even friends mean nothing.

All that matters is heroin.

That was the message the Milton Police Department and the Rock County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit drove home to a small group Thursday night at Milton High School.

Heroin isn’t a New York problem or a Rockford problem, Milton police Lt. John Conger said.

It’s not even “just a Janesville problem,” he said, referring to a recent series The Janesville Gazette published about heroin use in Rock County.

“I don’t want there to be a mindset that this is something that happens just at Parker, at Craig or in Rockford,” Conger said. “From the size of the crowd here tonight, I’m worried that might be the case.

“Heroin is being used by your friends and family.”

At least 11 people have died in Rock County in the last 13 months from heroin overdose, according data from the Rock County Coroner’s Office.

Three of those cases were from Edgerton or Milton, Conger pointed out. That means 27 percent of the heroin overdose deaths in the last year took place in the two small communities that make up 6 percent of the county’s population, he said.

Heroin is a white or brown odorless powder. It is morphine based and very, very addictive. Users often switch to heroin from prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Percocet because heroin is less expensive, Conger said.

Users get addicted after two or three uses, said Jeff Klenz, a member of the special investigations unit.

Once addicted, users lose interest in everything other than how to score more of the drug, Klenz said. Food, family or personal appearance becomes unimportant, he said.

“The only thing these people want is heroin,” Klenz said.

Rock County isn’t alone. Heroin use is a growing problem outside U.S. metropolitan communities, Conger said.

Heroin use affects entire communities, Conger said. Aside from the pain felt by addicts and their loved ones, communities deal with burglaries, thefts, prostitution, assaults and robberies directly related to heroin addiction.

Heroin users don’t want to live a life that revolves around robbing family members or strangers to feed their addiction. But the addiction is so powerful and the withdrawal so painful that addicts steal to avoid the pain, said Chuck Behm, who is new to the special investigations unit.

“They have no alternative because of how sick they get,” Behm said. “They hate it, but there it is.”

The special investigations unit has been working to speak to city councils and school boards across Rock County.

The Milton Police Department planned to speak to the entire student body at Milton High School this morning.

Behm has experience in law enforcement. He’s also lived with a daughter who used heroin. He doesn’t think Rock County’s heroin problem can be taken lightly.

“I’m a 30-year-veteran of this stuff,” Behm said. “And I’m worried.”

Educate yourself about heroin

Rock County authorities are working to spread the word that heroin use is a problem in both urban and rural areas in the county.

“Educate yourself about heroin and talk to your kids,” said Jeff Klenz with the Rock County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit.

Heroin is a white or brown powder that can be snorted, injected or smoked. It is highly addictive and can be lethal.

It is inexpensive and opium based. Addicts might switch between heroin and stolen prescription painkillers.

Milton police Lt. John Conger on Thursday listed these as signs to watch for heroin use:

-- Changes in behavior. Users might suddenly change friends. Their grades or job performance could drop quickly.

-- Users could have runny noses or eyes and constricted pupils. They might spend a lot of time sleeping and could seem apathetic.

-- Cash or valuables could start disappearing.

“All of a sudden, their (addicts’) personal belongings will be missing,” said Chuck Behm with the sheriff’s office. “The other thing is, almost all of the time, when you’re dealing with a (drug using) teen at him, you’ll find your own things missing. They’ll take anything, everything.”

-- Parents or friends could find things such as capsules, small plastic bags, syringes, antihistamine packaging or pieces of tin foil around the house or find unusual residue in the coffee grinder.

-- Users might have sudden changes in personality or mood, use poor judgment or have a lack of interest in their day-to-day life. They might start arguments at home, break rules or act secretively.