Ask an Official: Tomahawk Police discuss results of Drug Investigator position
This week’s featured question was submitted for Investigator John DuPlayee of the Tomahawk Police Department.
“How long has Investigator John DuPlayee been in the position of Drug Investigator? What was the reason for the creation of the Drug Investigator position and what sort of impact has his work had on drug and related criminal activity, since taking on his role as Drug Investigator? Thank you!”
Answer given by TPD Drug Investigator John DuPlayee:
“I’ve been an active member of the Northcentral Drug Enforcement Group (NORDEG) task force since 1993. However when Police Chief Al Elvins arrived in 2012, he made a conscious effort to combat the illicit drug abuse in our area, by assigning an officer as a full time Drug Investigator. I was fortunate to be given this opportunity.
“Drugs are a problem in EVERY community and Tomahawk is no exception. In the 18 years prior to Chief Elvins arriving, we made approximately 765 drug related arrests, an average of approximately 42 per year. Once we had someone dedicated to a full time position, our 2013 arrests went up to 180. In 2014 we had 175, and in 2015 we had 157 – an average of approximately 170 drug arrests a year.
“In addition, over the last three years we also seized approximately $160,000 worth of illicit drugs, 10 motor vehicles, $13,000.00 in cash, nine firearms and literally thousands of syringes. Our property crimes, as well as our violent crime, have dropped significantly since the decision was made to ‘Crack Down’ on drug crimes being committed in our area.”
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