Drug Task Force

Toll Free Drug Tip Hotline: (855) 684-6116

To serve and protect the interests of the People of Lawrence County it is necessary to constitute an organization of law enforcement officers with multi-jurisdictional authority dedicated to effectively and efficiently investigate and prosecute illegal drug activity.

In furtherance of this mission a Task Force has been created with the stated goals of intercepting and preventing all drug trafficking activities throughout the County; impeding all drug related activities within the County; and identifying and prosecuting all individuals engaged in drug related activities through the use of coordinated police efforts, undercover operations and modern surveillance techniques. These efforts shall serve to decrease the availability of illegal drugs in areas policed by the Task Force; to deter drug trafficking and illegal narcotics by increasing the risk of detection, apprehension, prosecution and conviction of individuals; to decrease the profitability of drug trafficking by seizing and forfeiting illegally obtained assets, and to provide educational platforms for participating agency personnel, local school systems and other community based organizations.

The Task Force will seek to accomplish these goals by targeting street, mid and major level drug dealers and traffickers. Policing efforts will include combined cooperation with local, state and federal drug enforcement officers. The area of operation for the Task Force is the boundaries of the County of Lawrence and any member officer acting on behalf of the Task Force is authorized to perform related policing activities anywhere within the County. The Task Force shall be comprised of officers selected by member police agency chief’s and approved by the District Attorney of Lawrence County.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) was created by District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa in 2010 and functions as a specialized group of Detectives within the Office of the District Attorney and the Lawrence County Drug Task Force. Its membership is comprised of selected law enforcement officers and detectives from local police departments. The SIU is responsible for collecting and analyzing narcotic activity intelligence; targeting drug traffickers for arrest; coordinating and conducting undercover operations; conducting high-risk warrant service; and initiating, coordinating, and/or investigating other major cases as assigned by the Lawrence County District Attorney. All Special Investigation Unit Detectives receive baseline training in narcotic policing techniques and methodology and specialized training in advanced surveillance instruction, interview techniques and weapon proficiency.