Waterloo is Awarded a Department of Justice Grant to Combat Drug Crimes

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA—Today the city of Waterloo was awarded an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant by the United States Department of Justice for fiscal year 2015.  The $58,833 grant will be used in a joint effort by the City of Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Black Hawk County to provide continuing support for the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force.

The Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement unit responsible for investigating drug related crimes.  The funds from this grant will be used to investigative major drug related crimes and support prosecution efforts.

United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, Kevin W. Techau, stated, “This grant supports the common federal, state and local goal of strengthening law enforcement capabilities to investigate targets for the successful prosecution of drug traffickers.”         

Currently, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force has full time investigators from the Waterloo and Cedar Falls Police Departments and the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office assigned to it.  The Task Force investigates targets and assists in the prosecution of drug traffickers.  It also responds to citizens’ complaints and concerns related to drug investigations.

In fiscal year 2014, the Task Force initiated 430 cases and made 173 arrests.  It also seized $301,030 in cash and a large amount of illegal drugs with an estimated street value of $2,195,797.  It also processed 17 methamphetamine lab sites.

This continued funding will assist in the enforcement against major drug trafficking organizations. The dismantling of these organizations is a priority and has resulted in the disruption of the distribution in the tri-county area of crack cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, hash oil and other illegal narcotics.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), which oversees these grants, provides innovative leadership to federal, state, local, and tribal justice systems, by disseminating state-of-the art knowledge and practices across America, and providing grants for the implementation of these crime fighting strategies. Because most of the responsibility for crime control and prevention falls to law enforcement officers in states, cities, and neighborhoods, the federal government can be effective in these areas only to the extent that it can enter into partnerships with these officers. OJP does not directly carry out law enforcement and justice activities. Instead, OJP works in partnership with the justice community to identify the most pressing crime-related challenges confronting the justice system and provides information, training, coordination, and innovative strategies and approaches for addressing these challenges.

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