Politics & Government

Will County Sheriff's Candidate Steve Egan Wants to Send Out 'HIT-men'

Will County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Egan is proposing a Will County Heroin Interdiction Team—the HIT squad.

By Joseph Hosey

From Will County Sheriff's Candidate Steve Egan:

"The drug traffickers and dealers have been preying on Will County residents and their children for far too long," declared Will County Sheriff candidate Steve Egan. "It's time we hit them, hit them hard and hit them where it hurts!"

Egan, a lieutenant with the sheriff's department, unveiled an aggressive three-pronged program that will attack the flow of heroin and other drugs, punish those who are victimizing our communities while assisting and supporting the families that have been devastated by the actions of these predators. Egan's proposed Will County Heroin Interdiction Team—HIT—will be organized and managed by the sheriff's office and will include county and local police officers as part of what he calls his "HIT squad."

"The officers who join my unit will be my HIT-men, "Egan explained, "and we will aggressively and proactively attack the flow and distribution of heroin and other drugs throughout Will County."

The program proposes a comprehensive, multi-jurisdictional investigation team that will seek out traffickers and dealers. Based on their investigations the HIT Squad will arrest those bringing drugs into Will County as well as those selling those drugs in our communities. Egan explained that the unit can be "self-funded" through asset seizures that result from this program.

"Interstates 55 and 80 are the commercial crossroads of America," said Egan, "but unfortunately they are also the crossroads of America for the heroin and drug trade. We will focus heavily in this corridor to stem the flow of these illicit drugs."

The third part of the program is intervention and support according to Egan. He explained that as sheriff, through his office, he will organize a referral network of existing public and private social service agencies to intervene to help those victimized by this epidemic.

"The young people who are targeted by the drug dealers will need help putting their lives back together and on track,” explained Egan, "as will their families.  The heroin and drug epidemic can destroy entire families and we need to help them rebuild."

Egan also mentioned that an aggressive education campaign is necessary and he will work with schools and community organizations to reach out to Will County's children through community outreach programs established by the Sheriff's Office. Egan said his program can go hand-in-hand with Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow’s already successful Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions (HELPS) program and his Will County Drug Court.


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