JANESVILLE, WI – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) hosted a roundtable in Janesville, WI focused on fighting fentanyl in Rock County and to discuss ways the federal government can help keep communities in Wisconsin safe. During the roundtable, leaders from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), and local medical experts discussed the increase in illicit fentanyl being found in Rock County, and how law enforcement is working to keep these dangerous substances off Wisconsin’s streets.
“Communities across Southeast Wisconsin are being devastated by illicit fentanyl. In Rock County, there were 47 overdose deaths from illicit fentanyl in 2021. 65% of overdose deaths are from fentanyl related substances. I will continue working with local, state, and federal partners to prevent this dangerous substance from devastating our communities. I am working to raise awareness of the dangers of illicit fentanyl particularly when far too many victims are unaware they are taking it,” said Rep. Bryan Steil.
Background:
Congressman Steil has been a leader in Congress in the fight against illicit fentanyl. In 2022, Steil cosponsored the HALT Fentanyl Act, legislation that would make fentanyl related substances a permanent Schedule I drug, led a letter to President Biden with 116 Members of Congress urging the Administration take action to combat illicit fentanyl, and recently sponsored two amendments that passed the House to combat illicit fentanyl.
Steil wrote an op-ed in the Racine Journal Times recently regarding the increase in illicit fentanyl in Wisconsin. You can read the op-ed here.
Speakers at the roundtable included:
Congressman Bryan Steil
Rock County Sheriff Troy Knudson
North Central HIDTA Deputy Director Scott Albrecht
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska
Deputy Zachary Anacker – Rock County Sherriff’s Office
Amy Evans – Jail Re-Entry Specialist
Jeremy Duncan – Beloit Resident and Former RECAP Participant
Additional attendees included:
Chief Deputy Craig Strouse – Rock County Sheriff’s Office
Chief David Moore – City of Janesville Police Department
Chief Scott Marquardt – City of Milton Police Department
Chief Robert Kowalski – City of Edgerton Police Department
Chief Mike Schultz – Village of Clinton Police Department
Chief Thomas Kunkel – Towns of Fulton & Milton Police Department
Chief Brian Raupp – Village of Footville Police Department
Chief LeAnn Jones – Town of Beloit Police Department
Chief Scott Burdick Jr. – Village of Orfordville Police Department
