The Oconee Drug Task Force recently relocated its office to Eastman following a 16-year tenure in Cochran.
A more modern facility prompted the move. The new office is located at 327 Pearl Bates Avenue across from the high school. The drug task force covers the six county area of the Oconee Judicial Circuit which consists of Bleckley, Dodge, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair and Wheeler Counties.
Agents of the unit are tasked with the investigation of drug related offenses in the area and are not bound by county lines or city limits. They target the street level distribution of illegal narcotics such as cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as marijuana and prescription medication.
The concept behind the drug task force is to provide specialized investigative services to local agencies in a rural setting. The unit is funded by a federal grant, which provides 75% of the office’s annual operating budget. The remaining 25% is funded by membership dues from local agencies. The Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office, supported by the Bleckley County Commissioner’s Office, sponsors the unit and manages the budget. Currently there are ten member agencies of the drug task force, which include the sheriff’s departments of Bleckley, Dodge, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair and Wheeler counties, as well as the city police departments of Cochran, Eastman, Hawkinsville, and McRae. District Attorney Tim Vaughn of the Oconee Circuit DA’s Office serves as the Chairman of the Board for the office.
The State of Georgia is also member of the unit, as it provides the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) supervisor that manages the office. The current supervisor is Jamie Jones, a Dodge County native and 15-year employee of the GBI. According to Agent Jones, the multi-jurisdictional drug task force approach allows local agencies that would not otherwise be able to afford a drug investigator to have one assigned to them from the task force at a fraction of the cost. Agents follow strict policy and procedure adopted from the GBI. Such policy and procedure, coupled with supervisory oversight, ensures an agency they are receiving professional and ethical service, thus reducing the civil liabilities a city or county government would incur with a less disciplined approach.
Participating agencies pay annual dues to become members. Dues are determined by the population of a jurisdiction based on census statistics. Annual dues range from approximately $4,000 for the smallest jurisdiction to just over $22,000 for the largest. These figures pale in comparison to the cost a city or county would encounter to implement their own drug squad, at a time when budgets are reeling from the impact of the current economic crisis. Agents work independently and/or jointly with local member agencies, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation drug enforcement offices, the Georgia State Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and a host of other agencies to complete their mission.
Though the drug task force has a law enforcement network to identify and pursue drug violators, they welcome community participation in their efforts, as the drug problem is significant and will require community involvement to overcome. Concerned citizens in Dodge County are encouraged to report drug violators by calling the office at (478) 448-4685. Citizens outside the Dodge County area can call toll free at 1-877-448-4685. Callers can speak one on one with the agent assigned to the particular county/city the information concerns and remain anonymous if they choose.
