LITTLE VALLEY — Additional funding for Southern Tier drug interdiction was announced Oct. 25 by state Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean.
Cattaraugus County Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb, Allegany County Sheriff Ricky Whitney and Cattaraugus County District Attorney Lori Rieman attended the press conference in the County Legislature chambers in the County Center in Little Valley.
Young brought an oversized check for $90,000 for the two sheriff’s departments to share. The departments aid the efforts of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force.
“The heroin and opioid crisis has invaded our rural communities on a scale not seen in previous drug epidemics,” Young said. “In its wake, it has left a trail of heartbroken families, destroyed lives and tragic, needless deaths.”
She added: “Our law enforcement officers are on the front lines in this war and it is crucial they have the resources they need to investigate and arrest the dealers as well as help those in life-threatening overdose situations.”
Whitcomb said that in all the time he spent on road patrol and on the special response team from when he began his career 28 years ago, “not one time did I run into heroin. Now all my deputies carry Narcan because of how often they run into heroin overdoses.”
Last year the Sheriff’s Office recorded 500 drug complaints, Whitcomb said. So far in 2017, more than 550 drug complaints have been received.
“These resources are greatly appreciated,” Whitcomb said, noting Young had viewed video from deputies’ body cameras as they responded to a recent heroin overdose.
Whitney said, “This is the type of grant that really helps out law enforcement. He said when he started his career 38 years ago, heroin was never found in the area. “Now it’s an everyday occurance in Allegany County.”
He said the Allegany Sheriff’s Office fielded 99 drug complaints in 2016. A similar number are expected by the end of this year.
Whitney said he planned to use the funds for computer terminals in drug investigators vehicles and other equipment to help intercept drugs coming from Buffalo and Rochester.
The district attorney said, “No one is immune from drug addiction,” adding many have become addicted to prescription pain medication and turned to cheap heroin once their prescriptions were no longer renewed.
“It can happen to someone you know,” she said. “It affects families.”
Rieman said she will continue to prosecute drug dealers who sell fentanyl-laced heroin to addicts who overdose on the synthetic drug.
Since additional treatment bed are also needed, Young urged the Assembly to adopt a bill passed by the Senate to require people be admitted to hospitals when brought in for a drug overdose.
“They are sick,” she said. “They are addicted.”
Young said education and more treatment facilities are needed. Recovery in a treatment program can take up to six months to a year.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
