Published: November 30, 2009 10:35 am      

Two Corbin police officers to help drug task force

By Becky Manley / Staff Writer

Methamphetamine has emerged as the top criminal problem facing Corbin police.

However, Police Chief David Campbell said the city lacks the staff and money to adequately counter what he calls a “growing” issue.

Corbin’s city commissioners approved the transfer of two city police officers to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force during a special commissioners meeting Wednesday at the City Government Center.

The two officers, whose names weren’t released since they will be doing undercover work, will continue to be paid by the city. The city will be reimbursed for overtime and vehicle costs.

Before the meeting, Campbell said an extensive number of drug buys is required for undercover officers to work their way up through the ranks of drug dealers.

“We just don’t have the money for undercover buys at the level they (the HIDTA task force) can do them,” Campbell said.

Plus, undercover drug operations can last for weeks or months requiring extra personnel the city doesn’t have, Campbell said.

The majority of the work the Corbin officers will do will be in southeastern Kentucky, Campbell said.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Campbell told commissioners most of the drugs found in Corbin come from outside the city’s limits.

The officers transferred to the HIDTA have served a combined total of nine years on the Corbin Police Department, Campbell said.

Appalachia is one of 28 designated HIDTAs in the United States, making the region eligible for federal resources in efforts to fight drug trafficking.