Video: A Newly Formed Narcotics Unit Is Already Taking Crime Off The Streets

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The newly formed Columbus-Lowndes Narcotics Task Force is already taking crime off the streets.

It’s been about a month since Attorney General Jim Hood signed off on the agreement between the Columbus Police Department and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department.

Two Columbus Police Officers joined the task force two weeks ago.

It’s a job that requires skill, dedication, and crazy hours. That’s why it took a few weeks for the task force to find the best fits.

“It’s a lot, definitely more than what I expected it be, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”

Most first days on the job start out slow and end early, but that’s not the case for new narcotic agents like Mo Eguires.

Day one went from day into the night, and Captain Archie Williams says what’s been done so far, points to a very promising future.

“Roughly over the last two weeks, the unit has had about eight arrests, drug-related, and we have seen every controlled substance in the city and the county, to include methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, prescription medications, and even several firearms that were recovered off of the drug violators.”

Williams says he expects even more once the two agents are fully trained.

There’s a lot of training, including preparing case files, going over search warrants, and a lot of learn as you go.

“They are also on call with our current on call agents and anytime there’s a call out, both of the new agents have to respond with the current agent and that’s kind of when the training process begins. We are looking for some schools, narcotic schools, and things to send them to.”

Columbus Police Chief Oscar Lewis drafted a list of eleven officers with things like work history and desire to be an agent, separating the new members from the other candidates.

“It means a lot, you know, the chief of police and the city administration I feel like have put a lot into me and a lot of trust, and you know, I know what they expect and I just want to get out here and do a good job for them.”

Eguires joins the team as a double package.

“It benefits the city because now they have access to more than just one K-9 team. It benefits the narcotics task force because now we have more than just one K-9 team, so you can do a lot more with two dogs verses just one dog, you know, because if one dog gets tired, we have another one on stand by that we can throw right back into it.”

The task force is making a difference in the county, and now with the added manpower and joined knowledge, it’s time to carry that inside the city limits.

“The city has had some issues here in the past, recent past, with violent crime and I hope that as a combined unit, we can come into the city, do what we do in the county, with more manpower, concentrate on them both, and hopefully help push some of that violent crime out of the city limits as well,” says Williams.