Mangano & NCPD to Host Stand Up Against Heroin Event & Press Conference

Nassau County Executive Ed Managano and the Nassau County Police Department will be hosting “Nassau’s Stand Up Against Heroin Community Event” on Friday May 14th at the Manor East located at 201 Jerusalem Avenue in Massapequa.  The event begins at 9:00 a.m. with a press conference scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to acknowledge the collaborative effort in the fight against heroin.

Attendees include representatives of the business community, the drug treatment community, law enforcement, government, Latino African American Chaplains Association (LACA), parents and students.  Some of our sponsors include:  Sprint, Little Debbie, Manor East Family and H & M Leasing Corp.

“Let this send a clear message to the people of Nassau County,” said County Executive Mangano.  “As a community we are standing up and saying no to heroin use, sale and/or distribution in our great county.  We hope to collectively end this epidemic that is destroying the lives of many of our residents.”

“We are seeing a lot of Straight-A students and athletes that are heroin users,” said Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey.  “In almost all cases parents do not suspect their kid is a heroin user because they are doing well in school or they are involved in athletics.  By the time parents become aware that there is a problem it is too late, their kids are hooked.  Heroin is cheap, dangerous and more addictive than ever.” 

“Going forward the Parental Awareness Ads will be posted and distributed by many Nassau businesses thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and will be placed on many clothing bins owned by H&M Leasing Corp.,” said County Executive Mangano.  “We are determined to get the message out there so that it will start a conversation between parents and their kids.  As parents we are the first line of defense in protecting our children.”

The Parental Awareness Ad Campaign was created by Ann Lucido and Bob Schmitt of Lucido, Koulian and Schmitt Advertising, the Nassau County Police Department, and Jeff Reynolds of LICADD.  The ad campaign was created to help get the attention of parents, especially parents of teenagers and young adults who think they are immune to being effected by the heroin epidemic. 

The Parental Awareness Ad Campaign is just one part of the County’s three pronged approach to combating the heroin epidemic.  From an enforcement perspective there is Operation H.A.L.T. (Heroin Abuse Location & Targeting), that targets heroin users traveling in and out of the county to purchase heroin.   In addition, there is an education proponent, which is the “Too Good for Drugs Program” that is being implemented here in Nassau County.  “Too Good for Drugs” is a school based prevention program for kindergarten through 12th grade that has been very successful throughout the United States.