TED STONE

NORTHFIELD - School board members met with city councilors Tuesday evening to talk about concerns raised at a news conference two weeks ago outlining a heroin problem among young people in the city.

The meeting was called after Northfield School District Superintendent Chris Richardson complained that school officials had not been consulted about the news conference or the heroin problem.

Northfield Mayor Lee Lansing called on Police Captain Roger Schroeder to go over the investigation that led Police Chief Gary Smith to call the news conference. Smith has taken a leave of absence and was not at the meeting.

Schroeder, who was made a captain Tuesday, went over some of the intelligence that had been gathered about heroin use in Northfield, Rice County and the five southern Minnesota counties that contribute to a joint law enforcement Drug Task Force.

Several board and council members asked Schroeder about how the estimated number of heroin users given at the news conference was determined.

"It's very difficult to measure numbers," Schroeder said, noting that estimates came about after talking to a drug counselor and several people active in the drug world.

After councilman Jim Pokorney asked about what appeared to be discrepancies between some of the reports, Schroeder said it was sometimes hard to measure the credibility of the people involved, but added that no matter what the exact numbers were, he was confident there was a heroin problem in Northfield.

"As best as I can judge we have a significant problem here," he said.

Schroeder pointed to the rise in burglaries and thefts from vehicles as a further indication of a rise in drug use in the city.

Several people spoke about the implication that large numbers of high school students used heroin.

Lansing asked the group about the "outpouring of publicity" since the press conference and asked what should have been done differently.

"As far as the media attention," Schroeder said, "I've always thought a low profile was a good profile. If I see a reporter coming, I go the other way."

Schroeder said, however, that since the news conference he has had calls from parents who have taken a fresh look at their children and discovered problems. He said he was also pleased that people are now talking about the issue.

Councilor Arnie Nelson said that the drug problem was one that had to be dealt with, but he was unsure if all the publicity had been good for the city. No one is going to leave town because of this, he said, "but if I were thinking of moving here, I might change my mind because of this."

Richardson said he thought there were better ways to get things done than call a news conference. He said the heroin issue should have been discussed first with others, such as people from the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition and the school district.

"It doesn't appear there was a lot of planning for this press conference," he said. "That's how you end up with sensationalism and headlines that blow things out of proportion."

Councilor Scott Davis asked Schroeder why the news conference was called and if he would do it that way again. Schroeder said he didn't know all the reasoning behind calling the conference, but said that in his years on the police force he had never called a news conference, so he wouldn't be starting now.

School board member Paul Hager said that if the police chief were there he would ask him who had called Twin Cities media.

Several people from the audience also spoke. Zach Pruitt and Kathy Sandberg, both from the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition, talked about some of the drug prevention programs already used in the county. Joan Janusz of the Mayor's Task Force on Youth Alcohol and Drug Use, talked about the need to change community norms and attitudes surrounding drug and alcohol use.

Pokorney pointed out that the city, as the owner of the liquor store, was the biggest drug dealer in town. Cashman said that solving the issue would cost money and, perhaps, funds from liquor sales could be directed that way.

Several people noted that a meeting between the council and school board had not happened before and suggested that communication between the city and school district needed to continue.