Police will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. Friday to discuss a new education program aimed at decreasing heroin and oxycontin drug use.

The conference will be held in the third floor training room of the W. Jack Sanders Justice Center, 12400 Foster.

Several community agencies are teaming up with the Police Department to host this program and will be at the conference, including the Johnson County District Attorney's Office, Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Johnson County Mental Health Center, Johnson County Court Services, United Community Services and the Regional Prevention Center.

It also is supported by the Johnson County Chiefs and Sheriff's associations.

Recently, Johnson County law enforcement agencies have been aware of the increased abuse of these two drugs. Several overdoses and some deaths have been related to heroin and oxycontin, and they are being used not only by adults but also by young adults still in high school.

This new program is intended to be delivered to a variety of community groups, including high school students, much like the city's successful "Wrong of Passage" underage drinking program.

Additional details of the program will be discussed at the press conference.