Recently, both the Champaign and Urbana Police Departments (IL) have responded to multiple calls for service involving apparent heroin or other drug-related overdoses. Two of the Champaign calls involved drug-related deaths and two were for overdoses.
According to Urbana Police Chief Patrick Connolly, Urbana officers have also noted a significant increase in the number of heroin-related cases in their city. Investigating officers reported an increase in the number of encounters with individuals from outlying communities including Piatt, Douglas and Coles County. Officers are also reporting more violent encounters when addressing the heroin problems within the city, and encourage community members to report any suspicious activity.
Lt. Robert Rea, Champaign Police Investigations Commander, reports seeing an increased number of suspected drug overdoses in Champaign recently. “Although, no official autopsy results have been made available, we suspect the deceased parties may have used an illegal drug that was tampered with. We are notifying the public that there are dangerous drugs out there that are killing people. We urge the public to contact their local police department or Crime Stoppers with any information about illegal drugs being sold in our community,” he says.
Information can be reported by calling 9-1-1. Callers can also submit anonymous tips online to Crime Stoppers at www.373tips.com or by texting the following: CCTIPS plus the information to 274637 (CRIMES). Crime Stoppers will pay a reward up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for these crimes.