Money seized in drug busts put back into DuPage schools
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin says the downward trend of heroin deaths countywide can be attributed to a two-tiered approach: the increased use of Narcan and increased education.
Narcan, a trademarked version of the opiate antidote naloxone, has saved 16 lives this year in DuPage County, but it only works once the addict has overdosed. The key, Berlin said, is to continue educating everyone about the dangers of drugs before they get to that point.
To that end, Berlin on Wednesday distributed $23,500, forfeited from drug arrests throughout the county to 47 school groups to assist in drug education curriculum and scholarships.
"I look forward to this day every year when I can give back to the schools money that was earned by drug dealers. That money, I know, is now going to a great cause," Berlin said. "We will not arrest or prosecute our way out of the heroin problem. But we do aggressively prosecute drug dealers who are peddling poison in our communities."
In 2013, 46 people died of heroin overdoses in DuPage County compared to 33 in 2014.
"That's an incredible number for a county of just under a million people," Berlin said. "This year we've only had three so far. While the numbers seem encouraging, anything more than zero is unacceptable."
Carol Stream police officer Pablo Castro, who also serves as the Jay Stream Middle School liaison officer, makes it a point to attend the ceremony every year with a few students from the school's DARE anti-drug program.
"This money helps support our DARE program in six schools and pays for the shirts we give to our DARE graduates and other program needs," Castro said. "Our program is a huge deal in our community. We'll pack an entire set of bleachers with parents and grandparents every year for our DARE graduation and the kids really get into it."
The grants were part of the 2014-15 Drug Forfeiture Grant Program headed by the state's attorney's office. Since 1990, the program has distributed 617 grants totaling $250,975.