Heroin Fatalities Climb in Harford County

BEL AIR, MD – The Harford County Sheriff's Office has been keeping a close eye on the number of overdoses reported from heroin in the past year.

So far, there have been 79 overdoses, nine of them fatal, county authorities say.

"We are on pace to surpass our numbers from last year," Harford County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cristie Kahler told Patch Tuesday.

In 2015, there were 27 fatal overdoses, according to the sheriff's office.

in 2014, there were 23 heroin-related fatal overdoses in Harford County, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported.

Each week, Kahler said the sheriff's office has been updating the sign outside its headquarters to reflect the number of fatal and nonfatal overdoses in Harford County. On Monday, the sheriff's office posted a video with the update.

"Another life tragically lost to a suspected heroin overdose this weekend," the sheriff's office reported.

• 3 Fatal Overdoses in First 3 Weeks of 2016: Sheriff
• Harford Sheriff Begins Tallying Overdoses
• Harford Records 200 Overdoses in 2015

“These are not just numbers. These are lives that are lost," Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at a September town hall about the heroin epidemic in Harford County.

Through public awareness campaigns, officials have tried to draw attention to the dangers of heroin using discussions and billboards.

"Community awareness is a key element in the fight to eradicate the heroin epidemic in our community," Kahler said. "While it alone will not solve the problem, the signs are a great conversation starter and a daily reminder that lives are being lost at an alarming rate."