Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two-part series on heroin in Chenango County and the threat it poses to local law enforcement and the community as a whole. Next week’s story will address the addictive nature of the narcotic, as well as potential ways to address rehabilitation for those seeking help.

Authorities and local officials are calling heroin use a growing epidemic in Chenango County, and over the course of the last five years, there has been an indisputable spike in heroin-related arrests, investigations and convictions. And while many taxpayers continue to call for cuts to government spending, even on the local level, law enforcement agencies countywide simply don’t have the manpower needed to combat what many consider a very real threat.

“We’ve seen a definite uptick in the use of heroin in recent years and it’s a drug that hasn’t really been on our radar since the 70s,” said Norwich City Police Chief Joseph Angelino. “At that time there was such a stigma attached to the drug, and the use of needles, whereas now it’s become very popular and almost a status symbol.”

The numbers don’t lie, added the police chief. In 2011, the Norwich PD made a total of two arrests involving criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument charges, a class A misdemeanor according to New York State penal law. In 2012, that statistic spiked to 21 arrests. During that same span, criminal possession or sale of controlled substance arrests – many involving heroin – jumped from 35 to 43. And while Angelino said good relationships between the Norwich PD and other law enforcement agencies such as the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police and village police departments help to keep dealers and users off the streets, resources are limited. Yet heroin-related arrests and the effect the narcotic is having on communities – and families – across the county are only part of the problem. There have also been several deaths linked to the drug in recent years. Angelino, without going into specifics, related the following:

“We arrested a local supplier, and our intelligence told us that that void had been filled by an out-of-town dealer. The heroin he was selling was much stronger, and one of our detectives was concerned that someone was going to take their typical dose and die, because what had been circulating had been cut down and was much weaker, which is what ultimately happened.”

Added Angelino, “This stuff is dangerous.”