Shakopee Mayor Addresses Area Heroin Problem

With two reports in the past week involving teens and heroin in Shakopee, Mayor Brad Tabke addressed the issue in a Saturday post on his website.

"Heroin is a drug that is not only a Shakopee problem but has very quickly come up metro-wide," he wrote. Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate attributes the upswing to recent changes made in the manufacturing of prescription drugs that make them difficult to smoke. Consequently, he said, heroin has come on the scene as a cheap alternative. He also said the heroin police are finding is of very high purity and is extremely addictive.

Below is a list made by Tabke of what Shakopee is doing to take action:

• Shakopee is part of the Meth Task Force that has now turned its focus to heroin. They work to educate students and get information out to the public.
• works with the Southwest Metro Drug Task Force where an officer is assigned full time.
• Shakopee PD street crimes unit is focusing on known heroin users and working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on trafficking cases.
• Police Chief Jeff Tate and Scott County Attorney Patrick Ciliberto are working with judges on the best treatment options for heroin-related offenses.
• Shakopee police officers who work in the schools are making presentations to students to create awareness.

"It sounds simple, but please talk to your kids about drugs and pay attention to what is going on in their lives," Tabke added. "We don’t want more heartbreaking stories of  and ."

If you or a family member needs to find help or talk to someone call 1.800.662.HELP (4357) or click here for the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. For a list of local resources click here.

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