DIXON, Ill. (AP) — Police in the northern Illinois city of Dixon are helping heroin addicts get treatment in an effort to fight the growing problem of drug addiction.

Heroin users are fast-tracked into treatment if they ask Dixon police for help. Police will dispose of drugs and paraphernalia without pressing charges for possession.

About two dozen people have taken Dixon police up on the offer since late August. Police Chief Danny Langloss says results so far are mixed, and that he thinks many who entered treatment will relapse.

The Chicago Tribune reports the idea is catching on among Chicago-area police, with Rolling Meadows introducing a similar program recently. Other suburban police departments plan to have their own versions soon.