Police Hold Town Hall On Heroin In Twin Ports

DULUTH - Duluth police are trying to get in front of the heroin epidemic in the United States as young people continue to die in the Twin Ports from the intensely addictive drug."We can't fight this alone. This is a problem that's beyond just a police agency being able to deal with it. We need partners," explained Lt. Jeff Kazel.Education is one vital way the police department is hoping to help stop the rapidly rising trend of heroin police use among 18 to 25 year olds.Officials with the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force held a heroin town hall meeting Wednesday night on the issue. They covered what heroin is, who it affects, where it is coming from and resources to help someone.Dozens of concerned mothers, fathers, friends and community members packed the Harrison Community Center to get educated and even educate others from experience."Just the stigmas that people have on drug addicts; they have this idea that they come from low income and poverty. It's everyone's kids," said Karen Niksted, of Superior. "I have two boys that are heroin addicts working on their recovery and I want to just help everyone realize that it can happen to you, too. My kids came from a good home."Duluth police are taking a three-prong approach to tackling heroin by education, forming community partnerships and aggressively targeting drug dealers and the drug rings they're involved in.