COMBINED DRUG FORCE MAY END

Law Enforcement Organization Is Down To One Officer, Sheriff Says

PLYMOUTH -- The Marshall County Drug Task Force could be on its last
legs if member organizations cannot find a way to staff it.

Marshall County Sheriff Bob Ruff told the Marshall County
commissioners earlier this week that the Marshall County sheriff's
deputy who has been with the task force for seven years "needs a
break" as the sole officer currently on the drug task force.

Bremen Police Department and the Plymouth Police Department, along
with the Marshall County prosecutor's office are the member agencies
on the task force, Ruff said. The task force's board of directors
will be meeting in November to discuss how the force might remain
intact next year.

Ruff had nothing negative to say about the other member agencies, but
explained that a number of factors have played a role as to why other
police officers have not been that active in the drug task force.

"Fiscal issues -- pure and simple lack of money," Ruff said, could
mean that a force does not have the funds to devote a full-time
officer to the task force. And even manpower shortages -- some
officers have taken leave to serve overseas in the U.S. military, as
is the case in Plymouth -- can deter placement of an officer with the
task force.

And, finally, Ruff said, "Not everybody can work as a narcotics officer."

He said the difficult work, often performed undercover, is taxing
both on the officer and his family. "We may not have that match right now."

The drug task force has traditionally been funded through a grant
from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, with the participants
providing 25 percent of the total. Last year, that translated to
about $3,600 per participating agency, Ruff said. The grant runs from
April 1 through March 31 each year.

"We want to reassure people that we'll work drug cases (even if the
task force is disbanded)," Ruff said. "It would just mean that each
department is going to have to try to do its own drug cases. ... We
still have the responsibility to work narcotics throughout the entire
community."

Figures from the Indiana State Police show that for 2005, Marshall
County has had 22 meth labs taken down thus far, tying with Harrison
County for sixth place in the number of meth labs dismantled thus far
this year.

"It's kind of a sad time," Ruff said of the inevitable changes ahead.
"But we will continue to deal with the drug problem. We have to. It's
all around us."