Pubdate: Sun, 07 Oct 2012
Source: Times Leader (OH)
Copyright: 2012 The Times Leader
Contact:  http://www.timesleaderonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3542
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

GOING TO BATTLE WITH THE FERRY POLICE

MARTINS FERRY - I went on the ride of a lifetime Friday.

It was one that potentially placed me in harm's way, but one that 
triggered excitement and anticipation, rather than fear or trepidation.

What was to fear?

I was amongst a sea of Belmont County's finest - an army of law 
enforcement personnel.

It started when Martins Ferry Police Chief John McFarland asked 
Tuesday if I was up for taking a cruiser ride. The former Martins 
Ferry High football star, however, was tight-lipped about the 
mission. He just said it was "big."

I have total trust, faith and respect in "Mac", so after a day of 
reflection, I bought in.

Having previously been in a police cruiser under less than flattering 
circumstances, I thought it would be exciting to ride shotgun in 
something of major police proportions, although I was still clueless 
to what it may be.

Mac was right, it was big: The second day of a massive Belmont County 
drug sweep. He said planning for Operation Shield began a month and a half ago.

I was pumped when I found out the assignment. I am as anti-drugger as 
they come.

The first day of the Belmont County Drug Blitz was a huge success, 
netting a host of drug-related arrests in all parts of the county. 
The preparation and teamwork by the police agencies were the key 
ingredients to a bountiful bust.

In this world of social media, the word quickly filters out through 
the drug world, resulting in many of the crooks staying underground. 
Thus, day two is often times lower in busts.

Such was the case Friday, but it was still a busy day, nonetheless, 
for my police shield - Martins Ferry Officer Chad Kuhn and his 
partner, Ecko the K-9 officer, just months on duty in the Purple City.

A day previously, Kuhn and Ecko had a nice heroin bust among several 
other arrests. Friday, he never landed a major bust, but he was 
involved with some 20 stops during the day, mostly in Ferry, save an 
occasional foray into Bridgeport and up on U.S. 250.

During one break, we ventured up to the Ferry schools' bus garage, 
where Kuhn had Ecko show off his drug-sniffing prowess. On three 
different occasions, Kuhn hid just a trace of residue from illegal 
drugs in various places on the school bus. Ecko nailed it every time.

Due to the sensitivity of the operation, I am not at liberty to 
reveal many of the inner-workings of the undertaking, as the 
groundwork has been laid for more arrests.

The two-day sting, however, was both an immediate success and one 
that provides the infrastructure for a spike in local drug arrests. 
The cooperation and interaction between local departments over the 
course of those two days will prove invaluable in forging a lethal 
component of the Belmont County Task Force, which McFarland heads up.

The St. Clairsville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, under the 
direction of Commander Jeff LaRoche, was a major player in the sting.

"This is a collective effort of a lot of agencies. We even had the 
West Virginia State Police helping on Thursday," LaRoche noted. 
"Martins Ferry contributed 12 officers to the mission. Thursday we 
experienced a lot of activity and, as expected today (Friday), the 
drug element tends to shut it down.

"It is a good joint effort by all the agencies. Having so many K-9 
officers and an airplane involved helps to take it to another level," 
he continued. "We recovered heroin, crack and even a stolen 
motorcycle. Events like this will spawn more combined efforts."
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