HILLSIDE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Hillside police say they’re working with Proviso Township High School District 209 to determine the source of heroin found in a staffer’s desk area.
Hillside Police Chief Joseph Lukaszek said the school liaison officer at Proviso West High School was tipped off about six plastic bags of heroin found last week, which had not been officially reported to police.
The chief said he complained to the superintendent of Proviso Township High School District 209.
"Obviously, heroin or other hard narcotics have to be turned in to the police immediately,” he said.
School officials have agreed to sit down with the police department to iron out training and policy for staffers. In the meantime, Lukaszek said there’s a possibility of someone being charged with a crime.
He said any school employee trying to keep a student out of trouble can get in legal trouble.
"A teacher throws something in a drawer and they forget about it. The next thing you know, somebody goes in that drawer and finds it and the teacher owns it,” Lukaszek said.
"This is the first time we’re dealing with anything more than cannabis and it’s frightening."
District 209 said, in a statement, the heroin was found in a “file cabinet in an office accessible to security personnel which allegedly contained items seized from searches by school personnel.”
The district said the matter is still under investigation and that it has “communicated to all staff regarding expectations related to the seizure of contraband, the associated risks with handling these materials and the proper notification and transfer of said contraband to proper authorities.”
School officials said school staffers will be receiving more in-depth training by law enforcement in the near future.