EASTON FACING 'HEROIN PROBLEM'

EASTON -- Police Chief Thomas F. Kominsky said Tuesday the town has a
serious heroin problem and that police do not have the resources to
combat it.

"I want people in town to know what's going on," Kominsky said. "I
hear people say we don't have a drug problem in Easton. Nothing could
be further from the truth."

Kominsky's comments came hours after police responded to a Pheasant
Lane home on a report that a 19-year-old man had overdosed on heroin.
He was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment.

Two weeks ago, a 20-year-old college sophomore was found dead in his
family's home on Partridge Way, a day after police found him
unconscious behind the wheel of his car, which had crashed.

Police had planned to summon him to court on charges of operating
while under the influence of drugs. They are instead awaiting a
medical examiner's report on the cause of his death.

"We have a serious heroin problem in town," Kominsky said Tuesday.
"We're getting more and more incidents. There are even more that we're
not aware of, when there are reactions to drugs and it's handled
privately and we don't find out about it."

Addiction to drugs, especially the opiates heroin and OxyContin, is a
growing problem among young people in suburban communities south of
Boston, law enforcement authorities have said.

At $4 for a small plastic bag, heroin is cheaper than a pack of
cigarettes or a six-pack of beer. It's readily available and so pure
that it can be snorted or smoked rather than injected with a needle.

Heroin use is no longer associated with the back alleys of inner
cities. It has become popular with suburban teens.

Addictions are so prevalent that a support group for parents, "Learn
to Cope," meets weekly in the region. It has more than 100 members and
a Web site, learn2cope.org, financed with a grant from the Norfolk
County district attorney's office.

In June, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz reported 16
heroin-related deaths this year. Last week, police reported five
heroin overdoses in Brockton in two weeks, including two fatalities.

For police, drug investigations take time and money. Easton police do
not have the resources to undertake them, Kominsky said.

"The drug arrests we're making are happening because we're getting
lucky," Kominsky said.

Efforts have been made to increase staffing in the Police Department.
Voters were asked earlier this year to approve a property tax increase
that would have allowed the hiring of three police officers, but the
measure failed.

"Two to three more officers is not going to solve the problem, but at
least it's a start," Kominsky said. "We're doing very little. Most
drug investigations are time-consuming and expensive."

One improvement would be to have enough police so some could work as
resource officers in the schools, Kominsky said. That would help not
only with the drug issue, but also with other problems, such as
bullying, he said.

"We should have resource officers in the schools," Kominsky said. "We
don't have one at all. It's been my contention since Day 1 as chief
that we need to do that."

Kominsky said he hopes that publicizing drug issues in Easton will
raise residents' awareness.

"I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't at least make them aware of
what's going on," Kominsky said.