Drug Dealers: Stay Out of Hopatcong, Officials Warn

Recent drug arrests in Hopatcong and Sussex County have many residents concerned and fearful, but Mayor Sylvia Petillo said increased media coverage is actually good news—proof that police are tough on crime.

At a press conference held at the municipal building Thursday morning, Petillo announced that her administration is sending a wake-up call to residents and to those who would bring illicit drugs into the Town by the Lake.

She declared that while Hopatcong has dealt with numerous incidents involving drugs, particularly heroin, the problem of illicit substances is a statewide issue.

"There are towns throughout the state of New Jersey that refuse to acknowledge that they have drugs in their community," she said. "Drugs are a national problem, a statewide problem and a county problem."

She said recent news items on drug arrests in the area show that local police are being proactive in rooting out drug crime and keeping track of recent trends in drug use.

"You have to change your approach," the mayor said. "That's what you're seeing in Hopatcong, [because] the war on drugs has changed."

Whereas past efforts focused on alcohol abuse and drunken driving, and later on designer drugs such as Ecstasy, the trend now is the misuse of prescription pain killers, which Petillo called "a gateway to heroin."

"It's an intersection of the legitimate and the illicit with consequences for all to see," she warned. "Every town is affected. Hopatcong is doing something about it."

Police Chief Robert Brennan agreed, noting that his officers are taking a hard line against illegal drug use in any form.  

"I want the word out there," Brennan said. "Hopatcong Police are out there. If you do drugs in our town, you're going to get locked up. We're not going to mess around."

Petillo said it is what local law enforcement has been doing for nearly two decades. She noted the borough established a Drug and Alcohol Municipal Alliance Committee in the mid-1990s.

In 2001, she said, the town teamed with the Sussex County Center for Prevention and Counseling and the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse for its first Project Alert, a program to educate residents on the dangers of and trends surrounding drug use.

"Since then, every year we continue to expand the programs we offer to our community, our parents, our seniors and our youth using a three-prong approach: prevention, intervention and treatment," Petillo said.

Some of those anti-drug efforts over the past few years include the Stand with Hopatcong Against Drugs initiative, a Battle of the Bands event for high schoolers, movie nights for families (which featured an anti-drug message) and the borough's Senior Wise programs, which offer adult education on drug abuse.

"Our strategy has always been to empower our community by giving them information about the latest trends ... and the facts they need to identify drug abuse," the mayor said.

Petillo said residents should be alarmed about the drug-related articles that have hit the media over the past two months and a report by the State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation on Prescription Pills and Heroin Abuse.

"The report clearly states that drugs are everywhere, and with the use of social media and cell phones, they are easily accessible," she said, noting the low cost—about $10—for what is perhaps the most dangerous substance out there.

"Heroin has become an epidemic in our state. You can't run from it and you can't hide from it. You have to face the challenges and confront the issues head on.

"In Hopatcong, that is exactly what we are doing."

She pointed to October 2012, when the Hopatcong and Roxbury police departments created Roxicong, a law enforcement crackdown on drug activity and heroin use that led to a major arrests of 25 people. 

The mayor said she knows news stories about drug busts makes residents uncomfortable and afraid, but she implored the community to look at them as something positive. She said the stories prove that local police are taking the issue seriously and being successful.

"How fortunate we are to have a dedicated and professional police department protecting our borough," Petillo said. "Because of their constant efforts and resulting success, truly significant progress is being made against the threat of drug trafficking in our town."
 
She added that the actions of Hopatcong Police have helped reduce drug distribution not only in the borough, but also in surrounding counties. And this, she said, should send a serious message to would-be drug peddlers.

"I want the word out there," said Brennan, who said that perhaps 80 percent of crime in general has some connection to drugs, "Hopatcong Police are out there, and we're going to lock you up. We know that people are going to do drugs, but if you do, we're going to get you. If you deal drugs in my town, we'll lock you up. We're going to release the information [to the media] every single time.

"We want the people to take notice; we're not going to mess around in Hopatcong. That's our main goal right now."

The mayor cautioned that in addition to being tough on offenders, it is important to remember that drug addiction is an illness.

"On one side is the need for strong law enforcement, but on the other side is the need for compassion, understanding, support and treatment for those who have fallen victim to drug addiction," she said.

A large part of the effort will require resident involvement, the mayor said.

"You are the eyes and ears of the borough," she said. "The more people who are involved, the more people you can protect."

Brennan also noted that people who have unused and expired prescription medications should bring them to the police station so that they can be destroyed and kept from falling into the wrong hands or ending up in the local supply of drinking water.

The mayor praised the work of Hopatcong citizens who recently launched a grassroots protest effort to stand against drugs. Petillo recommended that grassroot efforts continue and that citizens consider joining the Municipal Alliance and the Sussex County Coalition for Healthy and Safe Families.

The Hopatcong Drug and Alcohol Alliance meets next on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.

"Hopatcong isn't backing down," the mayor said. "Police will continue to keep the pressure on. You'll see it in the [media]. 

"I hope you'll see it as a positive thing."