Full Notification

Tune in to WCLO 1230 AM this Wednesday, November 6th at 10am to hear JPD Street Crimes officers discuss heroin use in Janesville.

Recently the Wisconsin Department of Justice launched “The Fly Effect,” a Heroin prevention public awareness campaign designed to reach our state’s young people. As you may or may not know, Heroin has become a statewide epidemic. This highly addictive drug is taking lives, devastating families and stretching law enforcement resources.

The Janesville Police Department is asking for your help in spreading this message and raising awareness of the dangers of heroin abuse. The campaign theme – The Fly Effect -- is inspired by the nursery rhyme “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly,” which is used in the campaign’s TV spot. The song’s escalation and spiral parallels the unexpected and uncontrollable spiral associated with Heroin addiction. Visitors to the website, www.theflyeffect.com , are prompted to make a short series of decisions related to Heroin, all of which are designed to illustrate the painful, and often devastating, choices associated with abuse.

In 2012, the Rock County Coroner’s Office reported 32 drug related deaths. Twelve of these deaths were heroin related. The Janesville Police Department Street Crimes Unit investigated 9 heroin overdoses in 2011 and 15 overdoses in 2012. Thirty-three arrests were made for the distribution and possession of heroin in 2012. It is projected that these numbers will be exceeded in 2013.

For additional information on heroin abuse, please visit the following Department of Justice website, http://www.doj.state.wi.us/dci/heroin-awareness/a-dangerous-epidemic. Brochures and fact-sheets are available for your use. The department will also be sharing a series of testimonial videos related to heroin abuse on its Facebook page, Janesville Police Department.

Please view the website, www.theflyeffect.com, and help us spread the message of heroin abuse and its danger. Education is the first step in preventing our community’s youth from succumbing to heroin abuse. Heroin overdoses are 100% preventable, and with your help, we can prevent future tragedies of this nature in our community.