Pubdate: Sun, 19 Mar 2006
Source: Gary Post-Tribune, The (IN)
Copyright: 2006 Post-Tribune Publishing
Contact:  http://www.post-trib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/827
Author: Tim Zorn, Post-Tribune staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?246 (Policing - United States)

DRUG AGENCY DISBANDS

An interagency team that investigates drug use in Porter County has
been disbanded, the team's leader said Saturday.

"I'm told this county no longer has a drug unit and that disturbs me
terribly," said Bob Taylor, coordinator of the Porter County Drug Task
Force.

Taylor said he got that word from Porter County Prosecutor James H.
Douglas, whose office supervises the task force.

Undercover officers from the Valparaiso, Portage and Porter County
police departments have worked on investigations since the task force
was formed. Taylor has headed it since 1995.

The group's future appeared to change twice over the
weekend.

Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds and Valparaiso Police Chief Mike
Brickner said at a meeting of police chiefs on Friday that they would
withdraw their officers from the county group so they could work with
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Douglas said.

Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas called Douglas that afternoon to say
Brickner had misstated the city's position and that Valparaiso would
keep its officer in the task force.

Brickner later called and said the sheriff also would not re-assign
his task force officer immediately, Douglas said.

At that point, Douglas said in a news release Saturday, the county's
police chiefs were told that the drug unit would stay.

But on Saturday, Douglas read comments from Reynolds and Brickner in a
newspaper story.

Those comments convinced him, Douglas said, that they want to
dismantle the local unit in favor of a DEA-headed task force.

The DEA group would be directed toward higher-level drug traffickers
and not street-level users, Taylor said.

Reynolds was not available for a comment Saturday.

Costas reiterated Saturday that Valparaiso wants to stay with the
local group and work to improve it.

"I look forward to continuing the dialogue on how we can be more
effective in the future," he said. "Drug use is a serious problem in
Porter County."

Costas admitted there was a "disconnect" between his position and the
one Brickner stated Friday morning.

"We will remain in the task force at this time," he
said.

Timing also was an issue.

"It's probably not good to have this kind of discussion come up so
close to an election," Costas said. "I think it is an issue that needs
meaningful discussion, but meaningful discussion is hard to come up
with a month before the election."

Taylor is one of three Republican candidates for sheriff in this
spring's primary election. Reynolds can not run for re-election, but
his chief deputy, David Lain, is one of two Democratic candidates.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake