I called Bangor police Lt. Tim Reid this week to talk about unsolved homicides for a column I was going to write.

But rudely enough, right in the middle of our interview, Reid switched directions on me and my whole well-researched column idea flew out the window.

“You know, last year we had three drug overdoses in the city for the entire year,” he said. “We had four suspected drug overdoses this past month.”

It seemed as if Reid wanted to talk about this.

“Usually I’m a bit hesitant about going to the media, but I’m telling you this problem is so serious that we’ve got to do something, and I’m just at a loss as to how to fix it,” he said.

I’ve written several columns on this community’s drug problem, I told him. I fear the readers may be getting tired of it.

He vaguely acknowledged my statement and kept on talking. About drugs, that is, not unsolved homicides.

I’ve known Tim for going on 20 years now. He’s a pretty laid-back fellow. When he gets all upset and bothered, it’s probably time to pay attention.

The first suspected drug overdose death in Bangor this spring was on April 7, when a Bangor boy died on his 19th birthday. The second came two days later when a 24-year-old woman died. The next came four days later and involved a 48-year-old man. The latest occurred on May 3 and involved a 19-year-old girl.

“It looks like it’s going to be a long summer,” Reid said.

With so many overdose deaths occurring across the state, one has to wonder whether those who provide the drugs are being held accountable for the deaths.

It appears they are not in most cases.

“It’s not that we don’t want to hold them accountable, it’s just very, very difficult,” Reid said.

Often there is more than one drug involved. Did the victim get all the drugs from the same person or from multiple dealers? Which drug actually killed them?

The hands of investigators often are tied because it can take months to learn the actual cause of death. Blood work done to determine substances in the body at the time of death needs to be sent out of state, and it can take weeks to several months to get a final cause of death.

“It’s difficult for us to talk to the media about these deaths because it takes us so long to get the actual cause of death,” Reid said. “It’s frustrating because I get the sense that people therefore don’t realize just how bad of a problem we have here.”

No one necessarily likes to see fatal accidents reported in the paper and on TV. The media certainly get enough grief for covering such tragedies. We are accused of exploiting someone else’s pain and suffering.

Putting those pictures and those stories out there, however, often is how things get changed. It helps to change seat belt laws and drunken driving laws. It gets people angry, upset and motivated to do something.

Reid thinks it’s time people begin to understand just how bad this community’s drug problem is.

“I can only imagine the frustration that parents must feel who have kids involved in this stuff, but I guess all I can say is don’t give up. It isn’t going to get better on its own,” he said.

He also suggested that I list some of the signs that parents can look for that may indicate when a child is using opiates.

? Abrupt changes in work or school attendance and the quality of the work.

? Temper flare-ups and attitude changes.

? Withdrawal from responsibilities.

? Deterioration of physical appearance and rapid weight loss.

? Borrowing or stealing money or goods from friends and relatives.

? Wearing only long-sleeved shirts even on the warmest days.

So there you go, Tim. We’ll talk about unsolved homicides another day.