MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. – District Attorney Brent Cooper is reviving the Drug Taskforce in the 22nd Judicial District that includes Maury, Giles, Lawrence and Wayne Counties.
“We have a little bit of meth. We have a little bit of marijuana,” Mt. Pleasant Police Chief Michael Hay said. “And we have a lot of cocaine…crack cocaine.”
For smaller cities like Mt. Pleasant, the war on drugs is a tough battle to fight.
“I don't have a specific drug officer. Basically most of my patrolmen work drug cases,” Chief Hay explained.
“Drug dealers I think will seek those areas out because they know that there isn't a narcotics unit so to speak working,” Cooper said.
The Drug Taskforce specifically benefits the smaller cities by providing more collaborative resources from surrounding areas.
“The drug taskforce gives me access to more officers, to more equipment more…everything,” Chief Hay said.
According to the District Attorney, at least 60 percent of the cases he prosecutes has something to do with drugs, from shoplifting to murders.
“It's actually more rare to have a case where there are no drugs involved,” Cooper added.
The idea is if you tackle drugs you can address far more issues with crime.
“We deal with the dealers right now and this hopefully will help us, give us access to more equipment, more manpower to go with the suppliers instead of just the dealers,” Hay said.
The criminals don't consider county boundaries, now law enforcement in this district won't have to either.
The task force is partially funded through a federal grant. The taskforce will officially begin operations on July 1.
