Police To Parents: Fight The Good Fight Of Keeping Your Kids Off Drugs

Police and parents in Wayne continue the fight against kids using illegal and illicit drugs.

Police officers and town officials educated parents on the most recent drug trends among Wayne teenagers and young adults at a special community forum Monday night.

Wayne police officers have seized 1,000 bags, which is about a kilo, of heroin just on traffic stops since January 1.

Teenagers continue to drink alcohol and use marijuana, and they’re finding new and creative ways of doing so. With recreational use of marijuana legal in four states, vapor pens and liquid marijuana are becoming more and more popular among kids.

“They’re doing it right in front of you,” said Detective Mark DuBois, the school resource officer at Wayne Hills High School.

DuBois and Detective Mike Zaccone, the school resource officer at Wayne Valley High School, run an anti-drug program called Stone Cold. Since they started doing so a number of years ago, there has not been one car crash death by a student who was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Zaccone and DuBois stressed the need for parents to be proactive with their kids, both on and offline.

“You are not your kid’s friend,” Zaccone said. “You have the right to enter their room and snoop, sniff, and spy on your kids.”

Zaccone suggested that parents monitor their kids social media accounts. Kids will often talk to each other about using drugs on social media or pick up the latest drug-using trends on their social media accounts.

Parents were encouraged to be awake when their kids come home from a night out with friends. They were told to smell their kids when they walk in the door as a way of finding out where they really were and who they were hanging out with.

Parents were also told to go and pick their kids up when they’re out.

“The pickup is crucial,” Zaccone said. “You set the time when your kids will be picked up.”

Heroin use is becoming more popular in Wayne and the surrounding municipalities. A bag of heroin only costs between $5 and $10. One pill of a prescription painkiller might cost between $50 and $80.

Frank, a former drug user and addict, begged parents to take steps to ensure their kids don’t end up in state prison like he did.

“I had a career and I destroyed it with drugs,” he said. ”If you would’ve asked me when I was a sophomore in high school if that would’ve been me, I would’ve said no. Parents, step up and say something.”

For more information, call Zaccone at 973-317-2207, DuBois at 973-317-2233, or the Wayne Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse at 973-694-1800, ext. 3244.