CALUMET FAVORS STATE DRUG ROLE

CHILTON - Supervisors almost unanimously gave their blessing to the state
takeover of a four-county drug enforcement group Tuesday and formalized
Calumet County's membership in the group.

"It's a liability issue," said Melody Buchinger, county corporation
counsel. In addition, aligning with the drug enforcement group will improve
operations and implement policies, procedures and training in line with
state guidelines, Buchinger said.

Mark Gabriel from Appleton was the only county supervisor to vote against
the move.

The Calumet County Sheriff's Department has participated in the Lake
Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG) for 15 years with
police and sheriff's departments from Outagamie, Winnebago and Fond du Lac
counties. .

MEG was created in 1988 to form a unified drug enforcement unit, but it
lacked a single leadership, with MEG officers responsible mainly to their
own departments.

In addition, operations were funded by the 10 member police and sheriff's
departments and there was no single insurance to cover potential lawsuits
against any part of the MEG unit.

"Under the agreement, the state Department of Justice, Division of
Narcotics Enforcement will provide an agent in charge at the MEG
headquarters and the state will indemnify all of the officers involved,"
Calumet County Sheriff Oscar Bielke said.

"The sheriffs and police chiefs from Calumet, Winnebago, Fond du Lac and
Brown counties got together and decided to ask the state to take over," he
said. "It's a more efficient approach."

Calumet County has one MEG officer and the four-county area ranges from 10
to 15 at various times, according to Bielke.

Supervisors from all four of the counties must approve the change.