Porter County Substance Abuse Council Prevention Efforts with Porter County Sheriff

PCSAC-meeting-10-15A powerful message was delivered to the community this morning by Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds to a full room of invitees that have a vested interest in the rising use of heroin and other lethal substances within the county. Parents, counselors and treatment professionals, and legislators came out in full force to support the continuous efforts of law enforcement to create awareness of the steadily increasing use of heroin in the county. “Jailing adolescents because of their drug habits is not working. It would be far more effective to sentence them to a treatment facility instead of doing time. Repeatedly incarcerating individuals for drug use is not the answer,” said Sheriff Reynolds.

Sheriff Reynolds provided opening remarks, at the Porter County Substance Abuse Council’s monthly meeting, about the heroin epidemic in Porter County and steps that his department are taking to reduce the number of adolescents that may become involved in drug use before it happens. “Shocking as it may be, local statistics indicate that children as young as 12 years old have been introduced to heroin and other such substances in middle school,” said Reynolds. Armed with statistics, the sheriff contacted a core group of individuals and organizations in the county that are touched by the reality of drug abuse and overdose events on a daily basis. To the end of creating community awareness, a video entitled, “Heroin: Not a problem. An Epidemic.” was produced by the Sheriff’s Department in conjunction with local experts – the Porter County Substance Abuse Council, Coroner Chuck Harris, HIDTA, and the Community Action Drug Coalition of Porter County. The video is a raw and unseen glimpse into the reality of what happens to adolescents that made poor choices and find themselves behind bars with a future they never would have dreamed of for themselves. “A young man from Valparaiso now serving time let out a sigh of resignation and disappointment in himself as he is interviewed from his jail cell. “I was going to be a baseball player. It was my first love, he said.” “If I could go back in time to the first time I shot up, I would probably tell on myself – tell my parents, my coaches and say, hey, this guy needs help.” Scenes like this are relatable to anyone watching this video and for that reason an effective tool for prevention. Statistics show that the vulnerable middle school age is when many life choices are made and the adolescent’s path is set in motion. It is the intent of the Sheriff to reach this age group by bring the video to 5th grade classes to view and start a conversation.

Coroner Chuck Harris sees more of the consequences of what heroin can do to a young person every time he is called out to an overdose scene. “I have daughters that are 13 and 9 years old and I am reminded every time I am called to a scene that this could be my daughter, said Harris. “Before we can start making a difference, we have to address the problem, “added Harris.

Mann Spitler told those in attendance, “don’t lose sight of the fact that it is addiction that we are talking about,” in the video, and not just heroin use. He talked about how the whole family is negatively impacted by the disease of addiction.

The video was directed and produced by JesseBobHarper Productions. Jesse Harper spoke about how much he learned from making the video and what an impact it has made for him.

Substance Abuse Council Director Beatrice Owen addressed the legislators in the room asking for consideration of a detox unit as outlined in the coalition’s Comprehensive Community Plan.

Dedicated to reducing substance abuse in Porter County, the Substance Abuse Council is the county’s founding coalition working together to battle substance abuse. A member of the Governor’s Commission for a Drug Free Indiana, the Council is in its 27th year providing funding to the community.