By Angeljean Chiaramida
It started as informal discussions about the region's drug problem among area police chiefs in December, got serious in January and took off in February.
Almost six months later, Operation Drug Out resulted in more than 150 arrests made as part of the regionwide effort to take drugs off the street. It included police in Amesbury, Newburyport, Salisbury and Newbury.
In Salisbury alone, the effort resulted in about 50 to 60 drug-related arrests since Feb. 1, along with the seizure of three cars and about $10,000 to $11,000 in drug money.
But along with cleaning up local towns, a residual benefit came from it as well — an increased level of collaboration among local police forces that will likely continue beyond the scope of catching drug dealers.
"The key component was for each town (police department) to be responsible for its own effort," said Salisbury Chief David L'Esperance. "But with that there would be a sharing of information between communities as well."
Newbury police Chief Michael Reilly said that sharing information among departments streamlined the investigations. Tips from informants in Newbury helped lead to arrests in other communities, he said, and departments were able to keep tabs on suspects more easily.
"One town wasn't conducting an investigation completely independent from another town investigating the same person," Reilly said.
"It shows how collaboration works," said Amesbury Sgt. Mark Gagnon. "Even though we already work together, this brought a lot of communities closer together."
The importance of intercommunity drug information sharing became a crucial part of the project, L'Esperance said.
He was also pleased with the level of cooperation his department received from residents who came forward to help. Both benefits have and will continue to be parts of fighting drug crime in Salisbury, something L'Esperance said is far from over.
"Focusing on drugs in Salisbury is ongoing," L'Esperance said. "We will be continuing with this. In Salisbury, Detective Mark Thomas' primary focus is on illegal drugs. Sgt. Tony King, who works with the Essex County Drug Task Force, will continue placing much of his efforts on drugs, too. And, we have one or two other officers involved as well. We've also reached out to other agencies for help."
L'Esperance said the career histories of some local police chiefs gave them a common viewpoint when it came to the damage illegal drugs bring to the area.
From noise disturbances and frequent thievery, to a proclivity for violent crimes like assault and battery and domestic abuse, to drug illnesses and overdose deaths, the trafficking of illegal drugs is a plague on every society it infiltrates, L'Esperance said.
"You have to remember, (Newburyport police Marshal) Tommy Howard, Mike Riley and I were all part of the (Essex County) Drug Task Force, so we're attuned to this kind of investigation," L'Esperance said yesterday. "I have to credit Tommy Howard for being responsible for getting everyone together in one room."
Howard said the area departments will continue to work together, and will be able to access each other's reports with better servers from the Essex County Sheriff's Department. Details from patrol officers in one department can lead to arrests in another, he said.
"Everyone's on the same page working together," Howard said. "A traffic stop in West Newbury or Groveland can have an effect on Newburyport. ... Patrol stops are vital to what we're doing."
When the Operation Drug Out team started, L'Esperance said, the idea was to bring investigations to a head and mount a simultaneous series of busts. But in Salisbury, he said, it quickly became apparent that arrests couldn't wait. While many of Newburyport's arrests involved alcohol and marijuana, Salisbury was finding a lot of prescription drugs, which have taken the lives of a number of youths in the area in the past few years, including L'Esperance's son.
"What we found as we investigated was that we shouldn't wait," L'Esperance said. "We had to make arrests and pick off the people who were transporting drugs into this community and those selling them here. As we got tips from people in the community of suspicious activities in their neighborhood, we had to act.
"When we made (an) arrest on Atlantic Avenue, people actually came forward and shook the hands of the officers who made the arrest," L'Esperance said.
The major drugs found during recent arrests have been pharmaceuticals, L'Esperance said, confirming the trend seen in many local communities of illegally sold prescription drugs — like oxycodone, methadone and Vicodin — rising to the top of the illegal drug trade. Heroin is still present, he said, as is marijuana, a drug L'Esperance warns is not as benign as some may advocate.
"Marijuana is always around, and those who think it should be legalized or decriminalized are crazy, and you can quote me," L'Esperance said. "It's a gateway drug that leads to more serious addictions. What kind of example would decriminalizing a gateway drug like marijuana send to kids?"
Drugs are in every community, L'Esperance said, and they most likely always will be. But, that doesn't mean residents have to put up with it. More and more people are coming forward, e-mailing officers or calling the tip line.
The reason is simple, he said: People are sick and tired of illegal drugs being available in their neighborhoods.
