Heroin Hiding Places Exposed With Educational Trailer

Inside an Altoids tin, down a heating vent, behind a light switch cover — all places to hide heroin or other drugs — and all exposed by the “Hidden In Plain Sight” trailer unveiled Wednesday in front of the New Lenox Police Department.

The trailer contains an 8-foot by 16-foot model bedroom that shows parents dozens of places where a teenager might hide heroin or other dangerous narcotics.

The model of a teenage boy’s bedroom is “as lifelike as we could make it, including being messy,” said Brian Kirk, a co-founder of the Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization, or HERO.

Kirk’s son, Matt, died of a heroin overdose in 2009. Since then, he and HERO co-founder John Roberts, whose son Billy also died of a heroin overdose in 2009, have been crusading to raise awareness about the dangers of using this highly addictive and often fatally potent narcotic.

The trailer was paid for with $2,500 donations each from HERO, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, the New Lenox Police Department and Lincolnway Christian Church. The money from the state’s attorney’s office and the New Lenox police came through forfeiture cases.

“I’m using money I took away from drug dealers to save kids the drug dealers are trying to kill,” said Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow.