A town east of Indianapolis is witnessing a spike in heroin-related overdoses.
Shelbyville has seen close to 70 heroin overdoses this year.
While none of those overdoses have been fatal, Shelbyville Police Department Lt. Michael Turner says the town is still seeing an increase in heroin use.
He attributes the drug's increasing popularity to recent legislative efforts targeted at other drugs, specifically methamphetamine, but says he thinks heroin is just as big a problem in Shelbyville as it is in any other Indiana community.
"It's a problem for all of us," he says. "Whether it's heroin or methamphetamine, prescription pills, marijuana, it doesn't really matter — it's a direct link to probably 90 percent of our crimes that happen."
Turner says local law enforcement officers are trying to be proactive about the town's drug issue, and he says the rapid response times of the local paramedics and fire department — as well as the availability of opioid antidote naloxone — are helping to save lives.