SEPARATE DRUG AGENCIES WORK TOGETHER WITH DIFFERING AGENDAS

Sonoma County now has two countywide drug task forces after a 3-year-old
inter-agency effort nearly collapsed because of infighting and rocky
leadership.

One group, led by a state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement sergeant, pursues
neighborhood and mid-level drug crimes.

The other, led by federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents, tackles
major dealers and larger drug conspiracy cases that often lead out of the
area. Local police officers and sheriff's deputies, who help staff both
agencies, said the dual approach, which includes marijuana investigations,
seems to be working.

The state-run force, made up of local police officers and deputies, has an
agreement with those carrying proper medical marijuana clearance paperwork
to follow county guidelines and state law regulating its use. For the DEA
task force, there is no such thing as medical marijuana because it remains
an illegal drug under federal law. Task force agents follow their own leads
and decide whether to pursue cases. Sheriff Bill Cogbill said local law
enforcement is pleased with the overall working relationship and extra
resources provided by both federal and state resources.

"It's working better than we thought it might," he said. "Clearly (the
prior task force) had problems, but we seem to have worked those out. I've
not heard a substantive concern about the operation since we reconfigured
it," said Santa Rosa Police Cmdr. Scott Swanson. Sales and manufacturing of
methamphetamines have dominated the local drug crime scene for years.
Coupled with a steady load of marijuana and other drug cases, there is
enough work for both groups, say law enforcement officials. In the 1980s,
former law enforcement leaders wanted to form a task force to better handle
the area's drug issues, which often spread beyond city and county
jurisdictions. But the idea stalled because of funding problems or
complications from trying to combine multiple police efforts.

In 1988, Sonoma County voters turned down a measure aimed at raising taxes
to fund a wide-ranging drug enforcement and counseling program. The larger
police agencies then continued with their own narcotics squads. For a brief
period, a few smaller departments joined together to make a united effort
in their jurisdictions.

In 1999, the federal government agreed to help finance a county task force
and provide a DEA agent to supervise local police officers and deputies. In
its three years of operation, it produced mixed results, with fault falling
to multiple agencies, said several law officials. And with the DEA's
interest in larger cases, the more prevalent mid-level drug dealers weren't
getting the attention they needed, Cogbill said. About 18 months ago, the
lack of a clear mission by management and jurisdictional competition inside
the task force had chiefs talking of pulling out their officers or looking
for new leadership. At that point, law enforcement leaders asked the state
Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement to run the task force. The BNE runs similar
local countywide efforts in seven Bay Area counties and about 40 areas
statewide. DEA agents decided to stay in Sonoma County and offered to
continue including local officers in their efforts.