DEL. GUARD QUIETLY ASSISTS IN ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS

These Soldiers Aren't Portrayed in Movies, but Their Role Is Key

They work behind the scenes in the state's war against illegal drugs,
analyzing data, testing money for narcotics residue and helping
prosecutors build cases against traffickers.

They don't go out on raids with the police, don't kick in doors or
roust dealers on street corners, but much of what they do helps law
enforcement agencies do just that.

And when they aren't doing that, they are in schools and working with
community organizations in an effort to reduce the demand for illegal
drugs in Delaware.

"A lot of what we do really goes unnoticed by the general public,"
said Maj. Rob Pankiw, who heads the Delaware National Guard's
counter-drug unit. "But even though people don't know what we do or
that we even exist as a unit, we've been pretty effective."

For example, he noted, in the current fiscal year, the unit has
conducted ion scans of nearly $2 million in suspected drug money.
Those scans, which detect drug residue on bills, helped police arrest
492 people.

The ion scans also gave police the evidence they needed to seize nine
vehicles, 16 weapons, and more than 20 pounds of cocaine, crack
cocaine and marijuana during the year.

The fact that the Guard handles these chores allows police
departments to put more officers on the street, said Pankiw, a former
New Castle County police officer who works full time for the Guard.

The unit also has troops stationed with the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration's Dover office, the Wilmington and New Castle County
police departments, and the Delaware State Police. These troops do
what is known as an investigative analysis of intelligence data on
cases, Pankiw said.

That analysis can help police and drug agents make arrests that stick, he said.

"We don't collect the data," he pointed out, "but we're there to
analyze it. That also frees up officers so they can go out on the
streets to catch the bad guys."

Troops also spend a lot of time in schools and talking to community
organizations about drugs and their effects not only on users but
also on communities.

This year, for example, the unit went on 102 drug education missions,
Pankiw said.

Teachers and administrators said they like having the troops come to
their classrooms.

So do state Department of Education officials.

"They work with us all the time, and they are really great at it,"
said Janet Ray of the department's Safe and Drug Free Schools
program. "The students love their programs because they combine
anti-drug, -alcohol and -tobacco messages with physical activities
and teen challenges."

Some of the lessons are pretty graphic, said 1st Lt. Jaime Wolhar.
For example, troops who are talking about the dangers of tobacco
smoking will bring in two sets of pig lungs. One set of lungs is
clean and healthy-looking. The other has been artificially blackened
with chemicals to show the impact of tars and nicotine on healthy tissue.

"It's an eye-opener for many of the kids, and for some teachers too," he said.

Because much of the information the Guard brings to school is new to
educators, Ray said, the department has also asked the Guard unit to
give programs for teachers.

"Everybody who's ever gone to one of them just raves about it," Ray said.

As part of its overall mission, the Guard unit also runs Camp DEFY
(Drug Education for Youth) in the summer in conjunction with the U.S.
attorney's office and local police departments.

"The Camp DEFY program is awesome," said Kim Reeves of the U.S.
attorney's office in Wilmington.

The camp combines physical activities such as rock-wall climbing with
anti-drug, -alcohol and -tobacco education.

"It does a lot of wonderful things. The messages that the soldiers
bring to the youth are reinforced in a very positive way, and the
feedback we get shows that the kids really take to it," Reeves said.

The unit's involvement with the kids who attend the summer camp
doesn't end there, she said.

For example, the unit helped throw a holiday party for camp
participants in December.

"They've also helped us get a lot of parents involved, and that's
been excellent," Reeves said. "The parents have reached out to us for
assistance on a number of issues, and that allows us to help them."

All in all, she said, working with the Guard "is a great
collaboration, a really wonderful partnership."

The unit is entirely funded by the federal government, Pankiw said.

"That brings an additional $1 million into the state," he said. "That
allows us to do programs in schools with no cost to the district."

It also allows the unit to conduct training sessions for local police
departments around the state at no cost.

The result?

"We manage to keep busy," Pankiw said.