Heroin killed 12 Hunterdon County residents last year, and Crime Stoppers wants your help in getting drug dealers off our streets.

Last year 40 reported heroin overdoses resulted in 12 deaths in Hunterdon County while 16 people were saved by the life-saving drug Naloxone (Narcan).

In Hunterdon County and other parts of New Jersey heroin is cheap ($5 a bag) and readily available. The heroin in New Jersey has a very high purity rate making it especially addicting. "Hunterdon County had 40 overdoses reported by law enforcement in 2015, as compared to 12 in 2014," said Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III.

This epidemic is killing our kids and addicting our neighbors. "It's everyone's problem and it cannot be ignored. Preventing addiction, death, and preserving the quality of life in Hunterdon County are of the utmost importance. It will take awareness and involvement throughout the community to render a positive change," Kearns said.

Nationally, overdoses accounted for 47,000 deaths last year according to the US Drug Enforcement Agency. Sixty percent of those deaths were due to opioids (prescription pain pills) and heroin. Eighty percent of heroin addicts get hooked from a prescription opioid drug. Most people that are addicted to these opioid pain medicines move to Heroin due to the low cost and easy availability.

Crime Stoppers of Hunterdon County provides a way for residents to anonymously report drug activity so that lives can be saved and dealers can be taken off our streets. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-321-0010 or by going to www.crimestoppershunterdon.com, or text messaging "HCTIPS" plus tip message to 274637 (CRIMES).

Tipsters can also download the free mobile app "Tipsubmit" and select Hunterdon County to submit anonymous tips via text messaging. All tips are anonymous and kept confidential. People who support Crime Stopper's important work in the community can contribute by //crimestoppershunterdon.com/donate

The community can also assist in decreasing the availability of these addictive pain medicines by ridding their medicine cabinets of unused and expired drugs according to Hunterdon Prevention Resources Co-Executive Director, Lesley Gabel. In New Jersey prescribers and pharmacies are now required to provide information about drug take back programs and permanent prescription drop off boxes to patients receiving a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) prescription. For local prescription drop box locations, please visit www.safecommunities.org and click on the prescription button.

Hunterdon County residents are invited to a town hall event to learn more about Heroin. This free event is sponsored by the Safe Communities Coalition of Hunterdon and Hunterdon Prevention Resources, in partnership with the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office. The event will be held on Wednesday, February 10, 2016, from 6 - 8 pm at the Route 12 County Complex, located at 314 State Route 12, Building 1, Flemington, NJ. This is a free event intended for ages 13 and up. Please contact Cathy Canterino at 908-782-3903 or ccanterino@hunterdonprevention.com to register.