'It's Here,' Local Cops Say of Teen Heroin Use

In an effort to combat an issue that authorities say is present and growing in FLOW-area teens, officials from the Ramapo Indian Hills High School district and local law enforcement agencies are teaming up for an informative drug presentation for parents.

Next Tuesday, November 19 at 7 p.m., the police chiefs of Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, and Oakland will headline a Drug Awareness Program for Parents at Indian Hills High School.

“Heroin and prescription pain killer drug use has reached epidemic proportions with teenagers,” Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said in a release about the event.

“While the situation is not unique to Franklin Lakes, Oakland and Wyckoff; it's here, many of our children are addicted, and parents need to know what to watch for to protect their children.”

Fox, Franklin Lakes Police Chief Joseph Seltenrich, Oakland Police Chief Edward Kasper, and drug experts from the Bergen County Prosecutors Office have put together a presentation on current drug trends that they say will be “eye-opening” for parents.

The program, “will assist parents in understanding how severe this problem is in our communities,” Fox said.

“Parents will learn how their child can quickly become addicted to prescription pain killers, and then move on to heroin use because of the cost of the pills.”

RIH Interim Superintendent Ernie Palestis first announced the program at the RIH Board of Education meeting last week.

“I think it’s important that we educate our parents as to what’s going on in Bergen County,” Palestis said.

The program is, “really going to be something worthwhile.”