Aug.
3, 2020
W.Va. DHS targets illegal
drug activity with new statewide, 24/7 anonymous tip line
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Jim Justice
has directed his Department of Homeland Security to establish West Virginia’s
first statewide toll-free drug tip line, so residents can anonymously report
illegal activity, through the W.Va. Fusion Center’s new Narcotics Intelligence
Unit.
Launched
Aug. 1, the West Virginia Drug Tip Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days
a week at (833) 905-DRUG (3784) for callers to speak with a staff member
trained to receive such information.
Information
can also be submitted online: go.wv.gov/drugtips.
“Gov.
Justice’s vision for the new Department of Homeland Security was to make it
flexible to meet the demands of all domestic and international threats to West
Virginia,” said DHS Secretary Jeff Sandy. “Every division of Homeland Security
is being used to fight countless threats to West Virginia from the pandemic to
illegal drug trafficking.”
That
includes the Fusion Center, which will assign information provided through the
tip line to an NIU intelligence analyst.
“Multiple
Homeland Security divisions have a representative at the Fusion Center, which
is the location of the new Narcotics Intelligence Unit,” Sandy said. “Our goal
is to help every law enforcement agency in West Virginia in the war on drugs. The
announcement of the first statewide drug tip line in the first month of the
Narcotics Intelligence Unit’s existence shows the resolve and commitment of Gov.
Justice.”
Sandy added,
“another prong of the Narcotics Intelligence Unit is to authorize Homeland
Security’s legal team to assist county prosecuting attorneys upon request.”
The trained
staff at the Division of Emergency Management’s around-the-clock Watch Center
will field the calls and then relay information to the NIU, which Gov. Justice unveiled
during his 2020 State of the State address.
“The Fusion
Center is pleased to coordinate with the Emergency Management Division to
provide this resource for our citizens,” said Fusion Center Director Jack
Luikart. “This will be one of the many assets we’ll use to assist our law
enforcement partners in their efforts to identify and dismantle drug suppliers
targeting West Virginia.”
The tip line
is supported by law enforcement agencies across the state. Advocates include
Delegate Rodney Miller, D-Boone, a former county sheriff who is now executive
director of the West Virginia Sheriffs’ Association.
“The sheriffs from across West Virginia are happy to join other law
enforcement and partners in this statewide initiative to help provide another
point of contact to aid in the fight against substance abuse in our state,”
said Miller. “This collective approach to fighting substance abuse brings
a newer collaborative together to strengthen our efforts to make West Virginia
better.”
The W.Va. Chiefs of Police Association has endorsed
this effort through its board, said St. Albans Police Chief Joe Crawford, the
group’s vice president.
“The West Virginia Chiefs of Police are proud to
partner with WVDHS on this important and vital mission,” Crawford said. “Our board
of directors unanimously voted to support this initiative. I believe that this
will aid and assist law enforcement agencies across West Virginia to fight the
war on drugs and the opioid epidemic which is still a major problem for all of
law enforcement.”
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