Changes may be coming to the Mississippi County Joint Drug Task Force next year.
Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson and Osceola Police Chief Ollie Collins are under the impression that the Mississippi County Joint Task Force will be operating without the two Mississippi County Sheriff’s deputies.
According to Sheriff Dale Cook, the Sheriff’s Department is currently making changes, which involve the DTF.
“ I don’t know where the rumor came from but it is just not true. We are not out of the task force but we are making some changes for the betterment of the county and to help us in our investigations throughout the county,” Cook explained. “I just don’t want to say a whole lot yet because I haven’t had the chance to visit with some other folks that are key in the thing.”
When asked when the meeting will be held Cook stated it will be after the holidays.
Cook said, “As soon as we have our meeting, but it’s going to be after the first of the year because I am out of town a lot and I don’t know exactly what date we are going to have our meeting yet, because these holidays have everything messed up… as soon as we get it down path I’ll let you know.”
The Mississippi County Joint DTF is separate from the Second Judicial District DTF.
According to Chief Thompson the Mississippi County unit is operated under a memorandum of understanding, referred to as an MOU.
“There are two distinctly separate groups involved here. First, the Second Judicial District Drug Task Force is made up of officers throughout the multi-county area of the Second Judicial District. Second, the Mississippi County Drug Task Force Unit, which was made up of officers from Blytheville, Osceola and MCSO that operated as a part of the overall Second Judicial DTF,” Thompson explained. “Our Mississippi County unit is operated under a memorandum of understanding or MOU. The day after the election the MCSO deputies assigned to the unit told the other members, our officers and Osceola officers, that Sheriff Cook directed them to move out of the jointly run office which was contrary to the signed MOU.”
When asked if he or Osceola Police Chief Ollie Collins had made contact with Cook or the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to set up a meeting with the sheriff at the DTF office, Thompson said no one has given them an explanation.
“Nobody from the MCSO has contacted myself or Chief Collins from Osceola with an explanation,” Thompson explained. “I contacted the MCSO to meet with the sheriff at the DTF office. Nobody from the MCSO attended.”
Collins added, “Based on the MOU that we have there’s an agreement that we have. Now I have not spoken to the sheriff about it. So, I do not know if the sheriff has actually pulled them out, per say, but speaking with my drug task force officers. The officers have told it to him from the sheriff’s office that they are no longer with the Drug Task Force. I guess it has probably been at least two weeks since they’ve been in office. I’m just assuming based off of their absence that they are no longer with us. Our officers are moving forward like usual. We just have to continue moving forward with what we got, but like I said I haven’t heard anything directly from the sheriff yet.”
Thompson explained that he and Chief Collins are in the process of creating a new MOU for the operation of their Mississippi County DTF Unit that would not include participation from the MCSO.
“Chief Collins and I are in the process of creating a new MOU for the operation of our Mississippi County DTF Unit that does not include participation by the MCSO,” said Thompson.
Collins added that his department would continue to work with Chief Thompson and the BPD to combat the drugs in Mississippi County.
“Osceola will continue to work with Blytheville. You know as far as the Drug Task Force. We will continue to work but we are waiting on the prosecutors to make contact with the sheriff,” Collins explained. “I believe it is in their hands now to find out what he is going to do and in to which direction we are going to go. As for now Chief Ross Thompson and I will continue to work together and to have our men work together to continue to fight drugs in this area.”
Thompson added, “As far as the MCSO still participating with the Second Judicial District DTF, that is between the MCSO and the state prosecuting attorneys office that operate the Second Judicial District DTF.”
Collins said, “I have spoken with Chief Thompson and it was just my understanding that he was going to make contact with him himself, and he was going to get back with me. He did and he said he tried to make contact but there was no contact. So, me and him both agreed that we would put it in the hands of the prosecutors and let them move forward with it from here.”