Coosa, Clay counties form joint narcotics task force
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Coosa and Clay counties have created a joint task force called the Clay-Coosa Narcotics Drug Task Force. Pictured from left are Coosa Investigator Travis Ward, Sheriff Michael Howell, District Attorney Joseph Ficquette, Clay County Sheriff Henry Lambert, and Clay County Investigator Trent Adams. Photo submitted
Sheriff Michael Howell, right, administers the oath of office to Clay County Investigator Trent Adams. Photo submitted
Clay County Sheriff Henry Lambert, right, administers the oath of office to Coosa County Investigator Travis Ward. Photo submitted
Sheriff Michael Howell, right, with Clay County Investigator Trent Adams after taking the oath of office. Photo submitted
The multi-agency task force includes investigators from four area police departments, in addition to Coosa and Clay. Pictured are Coosa Investigator Travis Ward, Clay County Investigator Trent Adams, Goodwater Police Chief Matt Cook, Rockford Police Chief George Fanning, Ashland Police Chief Joseph Stanford, Sheriff Michael Howell, District Attorney Joseph Ficquette, and Clay County Sheriff Henry Lambert. Photo submitted
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
Coosa and Clay counties have now joined forces to create a joint task force with a focus on narcotics crimes.
Coosa County Sheriff Michael Howell, Clay County Sheriff Henry Lambert and District Attorney for Clay and Coosa counties Joseph Ficquette jointly announced the creation of the Clay-Coosa Narcotics Drug Task Force last week.
This new joint task force is said to be a coordinated initiative dedicated to “aggressively combating illegal drug activity across both counties.”
Sheriff Howell appointed investigator Sgt. Travis Ward as commander of narcotics investigations and operations in Coosa County. Sheriff Lambert appointed Investigator Trent Adams as commander of narcotics investigations and operations in Clay County.
Last Thursday the group met in Clay County where Lambert administered the oath of office to Ward in order to grant him arrest authority within Clay County. Likewise, Howell administered the oath of office to Adams to grant him arrest authority within Coosa County.
This was done to help ensure seamless enforcement through the joint task force and to enhance operational efficiency across jurisdictional boundaries.
In addition to Coosa and Clay counties, the Clay-Coosa Narcotics Drug Task Force includes investigators from Goodwater, Rockford, Lineville, and Ashland police departments, representing a unified, multi-agency effort between the two counties and these communities.
It was stated that by combining personnel, resources and intelligence, these agencies will be strengthening their “collective ability to target narcotics trafficking at every level.”
The stated mission of the Clay-Coosa Narcotics Drug Task Force is “to identify, investigate, apprehend, and assist in the prosecution of individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics throughout Clay and Coosa counties.”
The joint task force will work in close coordination with the District Attorney’s Office and is committed to not only making arrests, but building “strong, prosecutable cases” that would hold offenders accountable in court.
Sheriff Howell stated, “My number one priority as your sheriff has always been to serve and protect the residents of Coosa County. I want our citizens to know that we are committed to proactive law enforcement efforts and strong partnerships that make our communities safer. The use of illegal narcotics contributes to theft and violence and destroys families’ lives. This task force represents our continued commitment to addressing those problems head-on. We plan on targeting any illegal narcotics activity in Coosa and Clay counties.”
“I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to our surrounding law enforcement agencies for their cooperation, support and assistance in helping establish this task force,” Howell added. “Strong working relationships between agencies are essential to effective law enforcement, and we are grateful for the shared commitment to public safety across our Coosa and Clay counties. Together, we will continue working to protect our citizens, support our communities and hold those who traffic illegal drugs accountable. I’m looking forward to this collaborative effort with agencies in both Coosa County and Clay County. Our county is blessed to be able to have a full-time narcotics task force, now, working drug-related cases in both Coosa and Clay County. I appreciate all the hard work from Sheriff Henry Lambert, District Attorney Joe Fiquette and his staff and the chiefs of police in Rockford, Goodwater, Ashland, and Lineville. This collaborative effort is a huge step in a positive direction to combat illegal narcotics use in our counties. Thank you, all, for your hard work and dedication.”
Clay County Sheriff Lambert expressed his appreciation to the Coosa County Sheriff’s Office and the other agencies that will be participating with the task force. He also expressed that he hopes, over time, there will be enough staffing from the other agencies to have someone in the task force full time.
District Attorney Ficquette called the task force a historic development for the two counties.
“The creation of this multi-jurisdictional drug task force is a first of its kind in Clay and Coosa counties,” Ficquette said. “This has taken a lot of hard work from a lot of people, and it is something our communities greatly need. I want to thank Sheriff Henry Lambert and Sheriff Michael Howell for their hard work in creating this much needed drug task force.”
Ficquette specifically thanked Chief Assistant District Attorney Leyla Lewis, Assistant District Attorney Mallory Whitley, Joseph Stanford, Scott Parish, Richard Bickerstaff, and Investigator Chris Matthews for their assistance in helping establish the program. In addition Ficquette thanked Chief Matt Cook of Goodwater and Chief George Fanning of Rockford and their task force investigators Logan Mitchell and Josh Hubbard.
Ficquette added that this unified approach sends a clear and consistent message that law enforcement agencies in Coosa and Clay counties are working together with a shared commitment to disrupt drug activity, protect their communities and ensure those responsible for distributing illegal narcotics are successfully prosecuted.
“I want to thank the officers assigned to handle day to day drug task force investigations, Trent Adams of Clay County and Travis Ward of Coosa County,” Ficquette said. “These officers have vast experience in these types of cases, and simply put they are our best and our brightest. ‘Professionalism’ is not just a word to these officers; it’s how they handle every case they are involved in.”
He added, “Sheriff Lambert, Sheriff Howell and myself made it a part of our campaigns to create a drug task force for Clay and Coosa counties. We united in that goal, and now we are united in its creation.”
