Pubdate: Thu, 16 May 2002
Source: McAlester News-Capital & Democrat (OK)
Contact: 
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=139068&BRD=1126&PAG=461&dept_id=434988
Copyright: McAlester News-Capital & Democrat 2002
Website: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1126
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1892
Author:  James Beaty

NEW DRUG TASK FORCE FORMED

The Pittsburg County Sheriff's Department, the McAlester Police Department 
and the district attorney's office for Pittsburg and Haskell counties are 
once again forming a joint drug task force.

Currently, the sheriff's and police departments operate one drug task force 
and the district attorney's office operates another.

The split came during the administration of Kalyn Free, the former district 
attorney for Pittsburg and Haskell counties, when Pittsburg County Sheriff 
Jerome "Snookie" Amaranto and McAlester Police Chief Dale Nave decided to 
form their own task force, citing a lack of cooperation from the agency.

Jim Bob Miller, the current district attorney for Pittsburg and Haskell 
counties, said the three law enforcement agencies in the new drug task 
force are going to share an $87,000 federal Edward Byrne grant from the 
state District Attorney's Council.

The drug task force has to provide matching funds of approximately $24,000, 
according to Miller.

Miller said funding for the current District 18 District Attorney's Drug 
Task Force is set to end on June 30.

He said his office doesn't plan to retain current Drug Task Force officers 
Chris Troussel, Travis Read, Mickey Virden and Steve Fioretti as part of 
the new task force.

"Those positions cease to exist," Miller said. They will only be part of 
the new drug task force if the police or sheriff's department hires them, 
he said.

Miller said the payroll for the current drug task force is $200,000, an 
expenditure that his office won't have once the funding for the new drug 
task force starts on July 1.

The new task force is to consist of officers assigned to the task force 
from the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Department, the McAlester Police 
Department and the Haskell County Sheriff's Department, and is expected to 
include current district attorney's investigators.

Miller said he made the change and is reforming a cooperative drug task 
force two reasons: "The first reason is financially the operation could not 
continue because it's costing $200,000 a year." Miller said.

"Second is there was no cooperation between the law enforcement agencies."

Pittsburg County Sheriff's employees Trent Myers and Lois Lupardis prepared 
the grant application, with assistance from Miller's office.

Other agencies who have agreed to cooperate with the new agency include the 
Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous 
Drugs, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the federal Drug 
Enforcement Agency, the Krebs Police Department and the Stigler Police 
Department.

Current Task Force Commander Chris Troussel said he had nothing to add 
about the matter.
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