Pubdate: Fri, 08 Aug 2014
Source: Provincetown Banner (MA)
Copyright: 2014 GateHouse Media, Inc.
Contact:  http://provincetown.wickedlocal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4819
Author: Erik Borg

OUTER CAPE POLICE UNITE TO COMBAT RISING HEROIN PROBLEM

PROVINCETOWN - When Eastham police arrested two Provincetown 
residents for the possession and distribution of heroin last week, it 
was perhaps the clearest sign yet that local police efforts are 
ramping up in response to the spread of heroin on the Outer Cape.

For more than two years, the police departments of Provincetown, 
Truro, Wellfleet and Eastham have been working together - sharing 
leads, resources and tips - to rein in the increasingly common drug 
that has taken hold on an unprecedented level in the four neighboring 
communities.

"Heroin has definitely become a big problem all over the Cape right 
now, and what we began to realize is that we were dealing with a lot 
of the same people, so we needed to combine our investigations," said 
Sgt. David Perry, a detective with the Truro Police Dept. who works 
as part of the collaborative unit.

The arrest of Caitlyn Dionne and Carlos Valdez during a traffic stop 
on Route 6 last week was seen as a highlight of that collaborative 
effort and the culmination of a particular three-month investigation 
that identified the two Provincetown residents as alleged heroin 
dealers operating throughout the four towns.

According to police documents, the man and woman had twice been 
implicated in the sale of heroin to undercover police officers 
operating as part of the joint investigative unit earlier this summer.

When they were eventually arrested on warrants during the July 28 
traffic stop, Dionne, 23, and Valdez, 20, were charged with two 
counts each of distribution of a Class A substance and conspiracy to 
violate drug laws. The police also seized heroin from the stopped 
vehicle, leading to additional charges of heroin possession with 
intent to distribute.

While the bust was heralded as a success, it also points to the 
on-going heroin surge that police are still trying to "wrap their 
head around" more than two years after combining forces on the 
ground, said Wellfleet Police Chief Ronald Fisette.

Since the four departments began working together, there has been a 
spike in heroin-related arrests, including at least 13 in the past 
year and a half for cases involving the distribution of heroin alone, 
Perry said.

The number of arrests represents a "big increase" from previous 
years, and it's important to note that police efforts have focused 
almost solely on the people distributing the drug, not just using it, he said.

"The reality is, with this issue, we are seeing and dealing with 
people from all walks of the community. It's not like it's just a 
young person issue, or just a working class issue. We're seeing 
everyone involved in it," Perry said.

The perception that heroin and other hard drug use becomes more 
prevalent in the off-season months when there is less activity and 
more unemployment may also be false, he said.

"It's just about where our focus is and where our attention is," 
Perry said. "There are other things going on in the summer that 
distract people, but I don't think a person who has an addiction 
takes a break from their addiction."

While arrests have gone up, so has the number of reported overdoses 
requiring emergency attention, including at least one fatal overdose 
in Wellfleet roughly eight months ago, Fisette said.

Provincetown selectmen chair Tom Donegan called the instances of 
heroin overdoses and other hard drug use a "scourge" on the community 
at a meeting in Town Hall in May, and police have also begun to take 
note of the public safety threat the drug is presenting.

In March, Gov. Deval Patrick echoed what local police officers have 
grappled with on the ground when he named opiate abuse a statewide 
"epidemic" and called for all police officers, firefighters and 
emergency personnel to be equipped with a prescription antidote 
called nalaxone that can quickly reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.

The prescription medicine, marketed as Narcan, is already stocked on 
ambulances throughout the Cape, but local police could begin carrying 
the antidote on their person within the next month, Fisette said.

The change is unprecedented locally, but sadly necessary, he said.

"If you had asked me five years ago if I thought this would ever 
happen, I would have said no, but I think times have changed," he 
said. "I'm not sure what the next five years will bring, but we still 
need to keep working on ways to combat this thing."

[Editor's note: This is the first part of a two-part series on the 
rise of heroin and other hard drug use on the Outer Cape.]
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