Emilia Teasdale is reporting in The Columbia Paper Kinderhook residents packed the town courtroom last week for a meeting about heroin use and local overdose deaths. Deputy town supervisor Patsy Leader said there have been several overdoses and at least four deaths from drug use in Kinderhook in recent months. A large contingent of officials attended the meeting, including county Sheriff David Bartlett, Twin County Recovery Services Executive Director Beth Schuster and Catholic Charities Senior Prevention Educator Mary Minahan. Schuster and Minahan described the programs offered by their organizations. Minahan provides drug awareness education for the Ichabod Crane School District. Representatives of law enforcement urged residents to call police if they see anything suspicious. Some in the audience praised the Chatham Police program, Chatham Cares 4U. That program allows addicts to seek help at the police station. Village police assist in finding the person a recovery program and then transports them to the facility. People seeking help are not arrested or charged with a crime. Any drugs they might have with them are confiscated by the Chatham Police. Bartlett said his department's approach is very different -- if someone comes into the county Sheriff's Office and are in possession of drugs or needles, even if they are looking for help, that person is arrested. Leader said meetings on the town's opioid crisis will continue next month. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.