3-5-14 heroin summit

The Fond du Lac police chief says the heroin problem in Fond du Lac is an epidemic.   Chief Bill Lamb says heroin cases locally have skyrocketed in the last couple of years.  "Statewide and its been our experience here in Fond du Lac, the seizures of heroin have quadrupled,"  Lamb told AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program.  Lamb says the only drug phenomenon that may be comparable is the emergence of crack cocaine 20 years ago.  "I think back to early in my career when I was assigned to the MEG unit and powder cocaine had been the rage and crack cocaine was beginning to come on the scene.  It kind of turned the drug world upside down,"  Lamb said.  Lamb encourages Fond du lac residents to attend a heroin summit next week.  He says law enforcement can’t stop the problem on its own.  " The simple fact of the matter is we are not going to arrest our way out of this problem."  Fond du Lac County probation and parole agent Carrie Nitz helped organize a drug court that is expected to start this month.  Fond du Lac County was awarded a three year $350,000 federal grant last fall.  "We just recently hired a coordinator who started this week so the drug court program should be up and running in the very near future."