New drug task force formed

With the number of drug cases seeming to grow year after year, Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver knew something needed to change.
“Throughout my years in law enforcement in this area, I have seen such a great need for someone to work full-time on our increasing drug problem,” Oliver said. “Drugs affect every family in this county to some extent, whether it’s through a family member using or selling drugs or a family member having property stolen by someone looking to make money to buy drugs, it just seems to be everywhere.”
Oliver said that while his office and the other law enforcement agencies throughout the area tried their best to stay on top of the drug cases, it was just too much for any one unit to be able to handle.
“We just didn’t have the manpower to stay on top of every single complaint or tip we received,” he said. “Money is tight right now for all the agencies and we didn’t have the resources to follow up on everything.”
The solution to this dilemma was to form the Franklin County Multi-Jurisdiction Drug Unit between the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Russellville Police Department.
“This was the best way we could see to really crack down on this drug problem we have here,” Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett said. “Without a task force like other counties have, we had to do something to make sure these cases aren’t slipping through the cracks.
“By teaming up with the sheriff’s office, we’re able to increase the manpower and share our resources in order to be the most effective.”
Oliver said he believed methamphetamine and the abuse of prescription medications are the two biggest problems facing Franklin County at this time.
“We receive complaints of suspected drug activity on a daily basis,” Oliver said. “Now that we have the drug unit, we have officers who follow up on these complaints. They follow leads to gather enough information for search warrants to find out if the complaints have been valid.”
Hargett said they have already seen an improvement in the way drug cases are able to be handled.
“In the short time the drug unit has been in place, it has shown to be a success,” he said.
Oliver said from mid-January to mid-March, the drug unit has had over 80 cases turned into the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
“Just having people who are dedicated to getting these drugs off our streets and getting these people prosecuted is a huge asset to the community,” Oliver said, “and that’s the goal – to have a safer, cleaner community.”
Hargett said he hoped to build on the progress the drug unit has made so far to further insure that drug use will not be tolerated in the city of Russellville or in Franklin County.
To report suspected drug activity to the Franklin County Multi-Jurisdiction Drug Unit, they can be contacted through the FCSO at 256-332-8820 or through the RPD at 256-332-2230.