SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — What started out as a typical meeting of the South Charleston City Council turned into a discussion about the heroin problem in the city and region.
During the reporting portion of the meeting Thursday, Ward 5 Councilman Edd Brooks asked South Charleston Deputy Police Chief Joel Gray about his ward’s recent problems with drug use.
According to Brooks, there has been six overdoses over the past month in his district, which runs from D Street to Interstate 64 on the northern side of the interstate.
“It’s a heroin epidemic and it’s starting to affect the neighbors,” he said. “The neighbors are scared.”
Gray said heroin is a problem because of how cheap and available it is for people.
“A lot of the users I know know their situation, but they still use to take that chance,” he said.
South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens said South Charleston is dealing with similar problems to other West Virginia communities regarding drug use.
“People who are doing things right in their neighborhood are getting frustrated with people who are doing things wrong,” he said. “They’ve put up with it and now they’ve had enough, and I don’t blame them. I’ve had enough, too.”
Gray said the police are doing its part through education and cooperating with county and state agencies.
“We try to make people understand how dangerous these drugs are,” he said. “On the addiction end, we try to point people to the right direction to the assistance that best suits them.”
According to Mullens, the police has a street crimes unit and partners with Metro Drug Unit. He also said he plans on meeting with South Charleston Police Chief B. L. Rinehart next week about additional ways to address the issue.
“They don’t have a magic wand to wave, but they’re out there doing their job,” he said. “Our guys have had great success.”
Mullens said the key to successfully dealing with the problem is targeting drug dealers.
“We don’t want the drugs in our neighborhoods or around our kids,” he said. “We’re going to be strong about it.”
Brooks said he believes the city is doing as much as it can.
“We need to let it be known,” he added.
The city council passed an ordinance regarding the annexation of The Ridges neighborhood. The proposal has to also pass a second reading and be approved by the Kanawha County Commission.