Highland County Task Force begins 5th year of service

The Highland County Task Force was established in December 2019. Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins developed the idea as no law enforcement agency was actively pursuing drug trafficking cases in Highland County.  

In presenting the idea to the Highland County Board of Commissioners, Collins noted that the majority of crime is tied directly to drugs as well as the majority of children services cases being tied to drugs.
    
When the commissioners approved the request, Collins went to Randy Sanders and asked him if he would be interested in heading the Task Force. Sanders and Collins then met with the sheriff and police chiefs of the county and discussed their ideas with them. All of them were extremely excited to get the Task Force off the ground and all donated money to the Task Force.

Sanders began working with Brian McNeil of the Greenfield Police Department in January 2020, and they immediately began purchasing illegal narcotics from known targets in Greenfield and “Operation Clean Streets” was underway.  

By March 2020, the Task Force and the Greenfield Police Department served the first search warrants on known targets. In June 2020, the Task Force presented their first cases to a grand jury, and the first roundup was completed in Greenfield.  
    
Following the success of “Operation Clean Streets,” the Task Force became extremely busy and in 2021, Collins went back to the commissioners and asked for the funding to hire a second investigator.  

Sanders was promoted to chief investigator and Chris Bowen was hired as the second full-time investigator for the Task Force. The next large-scale operation of the Task Force was “Operation Ice Breaker” primarily focused in the city of Hillsboro.  

Following Ice Breaker, the Task Force completed “Operation Party Crashers” and is currently in “Operation Fetty Stop.”
    
The Task Force has grown considerably since 2020 when Sanders and McNeil were the only two conducting the investigations. Other than Sanders and Bowen, there are two patrolmen assigned to the Task Force from the Greenfield Police Department and one officer from the Hillsboro Police Department.  

Additionally, the detectives from the Sheriff’s Office assist with operations as they are able. The Task Force has received additional donations from all the law enforcement agencies and has bought new equipment for use by all county law enforcement as well as secured new search software that is available for all law enforcement agencies.  

Many ask how the Task Force is funded. The salaries of Sanders and Bowen are paid from the county's general fund. The vehicles they drive were purchased by Clerk of Courts Ike Hodson from a title fund.  

The officers assigned to the Task Force by the other agencies are paid by their respective agencies. The funding of the undercover buys, the gas for their vehicles, and the money to pay informants is funded by the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force. For example, during Operation Ice Breaker, the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force supplied the HCTF with about $60,000.  

As a member of the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force, Highland County receives funding, equipment and members assistance. In exchange, when any member of the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force needs assistance, members of the Highland County Task Force assist. This has allowed the building of a strong working relationship with the surrounding counties.

The Task Force recognizes that treatment for addicts and education for our youth are paramount. As such, when the Sheriff’s Office asked the Task Force to take the education piece over, Sanders and Bowen jumped at the chance. The Task Force is given a portion of Law Enforcement Trust Money each year to purchase education materials and they go to the area schools as well as civic organizations in order to give talks and interact.  

Additionally, Sanders, Collins, Commissioner Terry Britton and Treatment Coordinator Tonya Sturgill are working diligently to implement a new type of Overdose Response Team that will also become involved before a person actually overdoses to push addicts into treatment.

Other than interacting with the community and schools, the Task Force stays relevant in the county with the Task Force Facebook page, where followers participate in polls, can watch roundup reels, learn about drugs and other crimes, and sometimes even get a good laugh.

– Courtesy of the Office of
Highland County Prosecutor Anneka P. Collins  
    
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