Rulers donated to schools for drug prevention, education efforts
Lake County Crime Stoppers, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Mundelein Police Department, the Lake County Regional Office of Education and the Lake County State's Attorney's Office have announced that crime and drug prevention rulers for Lake County's public middle school and high school students have been delivered.
"This project was funded in part by Lake County Crime Stoppers, as well as from drug asset forfeiture accounts. The monies seized from drug dealers is helping to educate our youth on the dangers of drugs. It is a wonderful thing when you can reach over 70,000 children on their dime," said State's Attorney Michael G. Nerheim.
The organizations involved in the production of the rulers are most concerned that students are provided with information that can be utilized in crime and drug prevention.
The misuse and abuse of prescription medication and heroin is increasing and, as a result, it was felt that students in Lake County's public middle schools and high schools need to be reminded that Lake County Crime Stoppers is available to hear their voices.
It is important for youth to report crimes that occur within their communities.
"Taking measures to ensure our youth are educated on the dangers of drug use is a vital first-step to keeping them safe. These rulers are a simple yet ever-present reminder of those dangers. Mundelein was happy to partner with the State's attorney's Office, Crime Stoppers, and the Sheriff's Office on this important initiative," said Mundelein Police Department Chief Eric J. Guenther.
Crime Stoppers is a program separate from the emergency telephone number 911 system and allows a member of the community to provide anonymous information about criminal activity, without the fear of reprisal, apathy or reluctance to get involved.
It allows the person to provide crime-solving assistance to the authorities without being directly involved in the investigation process. The Lake County Crime Stoppers are a resource of the local Law Enforcement Departments, the FBI and the US Marshals Service.
The program provides anonymity (callers are given a code number instead of being asked for their name and calls are not traced or recorded) and pays cash rewards when their information leads to an arrest.
"We are grateful for the partnership with the schools. This is an important message. Although, we still believe the strongest message is the one that comes from parents," said Sheriff Mark C. Curran, Jr.
All students in the Lake County area are urged to immediately contact Crime Stoppers at (847) 662-2222 to report information on any person who possesses illegal drugs in a public place.