PORT ANGELES — A statewide reduction in the number of multi-jurisdictional drug task forces means the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Task Force received more money for the 2023 fiscal year than in the past, Clallam County Chief Deputy Brian King said.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office administers funds for the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Task Force (OPNET), which includes law enforcement from Clallam and Jefferson counties.
OPNET received $226,563 from the state Department of Commerce for fiscal year 2022, which runs from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. In fiscal year 2021, the county received $176,196.
King told Clallam County commissioners last week that the number of task forces such as OPNET in Washington state has dropped from 22 to 16, so more money was available.
Another analyst and more updated technology are planned, he said.
The loss of the Washington State Patrol meant a 20 percent reduction in staffing, but Sheriff Bill Benedict is still committed to OPNET, King said.
The price of fentanyl has dropped to $6 per pill, King said, adding that although OPNET has intercepted a lot of drugs, more pour into the region.
“I am concerned that we are No. 1 in the state in fentanyl overdoses,” said Clallam County Commissioner Bill Peach. “Anything we can do to address that is a benefit to the public.”
The state Department of Commerce’s Community Safety Unit administers the Multi-Jurisdictional Drug-Task Force Program, which funds organizations such as OPNET statewide.
The reimbursement funding assists in the multi-jurisdictional investigation and prosecution of drug, gang and violent crime activity normally beyond the capacity of local jurisdictions to adequately pursue as part of existing operations.
Agencies dedicating investigators to the team include the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Port Townsend Police Department.
OPNET’s primary focus is removing drug dealers from the region by identifying, locating, apprehending and prosecuting offenders who deliver illegal narcotics such as heroin and methamphetamine.
The reimbursement funding assists in the multi-jurisdictional investigation and prosecution of drug, gang and violent crime activity normally beyond the capacity of local jurisdictions to adequately pursue as part of existing operations.
Washington State Commerce Department Media Relations Manager Penny Thomas said the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is the organizing entity for OPNET.
So the $226,563 goes through there to be distributed among the member agencies, she said, adding that all 16 task forces statewide received the same amount.
Chief Criminal Deputy Brian King wrote in an email that the funding resides in a special budget fund administered by the sheriff’s office.
The money supports OPNET activities and pays the salary of an administrative/records specialist and a part-time crime analyst as well as supporting operational costs such as fuel, vehicle maintenance, equipment, etc.
