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Jackie Cunningham, 48, addresses a group at one of Lake County's drug forums in Lincolnshire. Cunningham was addicted to heroin for more than 10 years, and has been clean for the past eight years. She said despite her past addiction, she is currently employed and an active member of her community. (Kate Jacobson, Tribune photo)
Lake County officials say they're alarmed by the rapid spread of heroin use among teens—something prompting increased efforts at education and police action in the hopes of tackling drug use in the region.
This fall, the department hosted six forums throughout the county in which members of the department shared statistics on drug use in the county and individuals came forward sharing personal stories of drug addiction. The most recent event took place in Lincolnshire.
Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim called the county's battle with drugs an "epidemic." With so many young victims dying in the county, he said he's surprised more people aren't crying out for solutions.
"It's not a message people want to hear," he said. "It's not something people want to accept as an issue. They say, 'Not my daughter, she's a cheerleader,' or, 'Not my son, he plays lacrosse.' ... Those are the kids that are dying."
Last year, 31 people died of heroin overdoses in the county, according to data from the Lake County Coroner's Office. In 2007, seven people in the county overdosed on the drug, and that number has risen steadily since, officials say.
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said most disturbing is how rapid use has grown among teenagers and young adults.
Police have stepped up efforts to combat gangs in the county that sell heroin, and last year also formed a special unit to combat drug crimes.
The sheriff's office also began approaching school districts in the county about holding seminars on drug usage and community forums on the topic for residents.
Chicago is a gateway for heroin trafficking in the U.S., Curran said, and as the heroin industry has grown more robust, officials have seen the flow of drugs and gangs into Lake County also grow.
Sgt. Dale Navarro, a member of the Fox Lake Police Department and an employee of the Lake County Jail, said he has spent the last 25 years in Lake County.
He said he has witnessed more and more inmates coming into the jail with connections to drugs, and has seen higher numbers of young people coming into the jail with addictions to heroin.
Navarro said his own son battles an addiction to heroin, and he knows firsthand what the drug can do to a family.
Stronger police presence has helped combat gangs and drug dealers in the community, Navarro said, but parents and educators need to do a better job of informing young people of the dangers of drugs.
"We're losing the battle, we're losing kids," he said. "It's not a phase. [Drugs] are a business."
At a community forum hosted by the county in Lincolnshire, Navarro presented a slideshow to a group of about 20 people on the dangers of various types of drug use.
Other speakers included people who have family members currently battling addiction and a former addict who has been clean for almost eight years.
Mark Theodore, of Buffalo Grove, brought his 15-year-old twins Joey and Sammi to the presentation to teach them how drugs can harm them.
Theodore said he tries to keep aware of what's going on in his community, but was shocked to hear officials say drugs were prevalent in local high schools.
Theodore said he constantly tells his children about the dangers of drugs, and said he hoped hearing the personal tales of hardship at the forum will stick with them.
"I want them to understand what drug use is and how it affects people," he said. "I just want them to know how much I love them and how much I care about them."
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