Chelan County Receives Funding to Combat Illicit Drugs
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office is $150,000 richer thanks to a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The funds are earmarked for the Columbia River Drug Task Force (CRDTF).
This grant highlights one of the more intransigent crises facing Chelan County. Drug activity remains rampant. The much-lamented surge in overdose deaths has tapered off somewhat, but there is still a good deal of work to be done.
Compounding matters is the unrelenting stinginess of many funding sources. A press release notes the financial stranglehold on the Columbia River Drug Taskforce and "similar teams statewide."
According to the press release, "Funding has been significantly reduced. [This grant] underscores the importance of this financial support for regional efforts."
The CRDTF is a multilateral body comprised of representatives from "the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Wenatchee Police Department, East Wenatchee Police Department, Washington State Department of Corrections and Homeland Security Investigations."
It focus is "cooperative, investigative work that has aimed to identify, interdict, dismantle and prosecute mid- to upper-level criminal organizations engaged in illicit gang, gun, and drug activities."
"The awarded funding will play a crucial role in sustaining and advancing these initiatives, ensuring that the quality of life our served communities expect and deserve remains upheld."
It's not just local officials who are combing through the wreckage of the drug epidemic. The White House shares this preoccupation with stymying drug activity.
In March, the Biden Administration unveiled a $22B opioid plan. Biden's plan calls for treatment in lieu of the stern and carceral approach favored by many in law enforcement.
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Gallery Credit: Cindy Campbell