Gibson police combat rising drug problem, urge users to seek help

GIBSON, Tenn. — It’s not just any drug hitting the town of Gibson.

“The heroin problem is really becoming an issue, especially laced with fentanyl. It’s becoming a problem for officers too, and safety. We wanted to put the word out, ‘Hey, we’re willing to help people, get people the help they need,’” said Chief Brad Hardin of the Gibson Police Department.

The Gibson Police Department recently put up a Facebook post seeking the public’s help in cracking down on these deadly substances, mostly heroin laced with fentanyl, among others.

Heroin is an opioid type of drug, and fentanyl originally started as a pain killer.

The right amount of fentanyl can kill users.

Chief Hardin says the drug problems started with a couple of overdoses in town and grew from there.

“We’re seeing cases basically daily. You know, it could be small amounts or large amounts. We recently had a bust with an ounce of methamphetamine that ended up having some laced, or we believe, it’s going to come back laced marijuana,” Chief Hardin said.

The problem even got the attention of the state.

The TBI has placed several federally funded vehicles across the state for local agencies to use.

The Gibson Police Department is looking to do more than just put violators behind bars.

“The first thing is to get people help. If they want help, we’re willing to help them. However, they can call us confidentially, they can talk to us, we’re not gonna report them if they want help. We’re not trying to get people in trouble,” Chief Hardin said.

But if users are not seeking help, the police have a response.

“If they won’t come in for help or don’t want the help… We’re trying to keep it out of our community. If you’re gonna bring your poison into our community then you’re gonna go to jail,” Chief Hardin said.