COVINGTON, Ky. - What do you tell parents who just lost a child to heroin?
Police face that terrible situation every day. And in many cases, they aren't trained to handle it.
Beth Bullock was one of those parents. When police responded, they weren't much help, she said.
"We lost our oldest son at 27 years old to a heroin overdose," Bullock said. "I found myself and my husband in the parking lot of his apartment building, waiting for the coroner, going, 'What just happened here? How did we get here?'"
Many Tri-State police departments are apparently stymied.
"We have no resources at our disposal," Covington police chief Bryan Carter.
Carter was anxious for a solution, and now he has one, thanks to Bullock, Lori Hazelwood and their group called Brave Choices.
They have created information packets for police to give families and friends of heroin addicts. The packet has heartfelt tips for people dealing with an addicted child or struggling with the fatal overdose of a loved one.
"Most of us haven't caught up with it yet unless we've gone through it ourselves," Bullock said.
"That's just what we're looking for," Chief Carter said.
Bullock expects to give out 10,000 bags this month in the face of a rapidly growing epidemic.
"Every one of the officers we've spoken with today have open doors," Bullock said. "'How can we help?' 'Yes, we'll take the bags.'"
LEARN more about Brave Choices on their Facebook page.
SEE WCPO's complete coverage: Heroin in the Tri-State
FIND help for heroin addicts and their families.
