Officials with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy should have no problem granting the request of Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., to designate Wood County a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Last year, Wood County ranked just fifth in the state for fatal drug overdoses, with the number of deaths having risen 260 percent between 2010 and 2016.
Right here at home, 23 of every 100,000 residents suffers a fatal drug overdose. We are accessible to traffickers via both Interstate 77 and U.S. 50; and we are just a few hours’ drive from the major drug trafficking organizations based in places such as Columbus, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Local law enforcement officials are excited about the prospect of additional resources that might be provided with a HIDTA designation.
“It will bring financial support for major drug investigations,” said Wood County Sheriff Steve Stephens. “It will also allow for more resources, including manpower. It is a great thing.”
As Parkersburg Police Chief Joe Martin reminded us, “It’s very hard on our local budgets to sustain a long-term investigation.” And we are in this fight for the long haul.
Any help we can get is needed an appreciated; and our folks in Washington, D.C. have done the right thing in seeking a little federal cooperation on this front.