Local officers sworn in to Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force

WINSTON COUNTY - The new Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force, designed to battle drugs by sharing resources among agencies through a more regional approach, has been operational since Oct. 1, but received an official boost with a statewide swearing in ceremony for all participating agencies Jan. 11.

The statewide drug task force has become operational thanks to grants totaling $1.3 million awarded by Governor Kay Ivey to establish the new drug task force, which contains seven regional offices covering multiple jurisdictions, with Winston County being listed as one of nine counties participating in Region E.

The new drug task force operating throughout the state was made possible thanks to grant funding made available by the U.S. Department of Justice  then administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.