Massachusetts National Guard Counterdrug Program to Continue in Hampden County
$27,000 to be Granted to Local Police Departments to Assist in Drug
September 20, 2018 -Springfield- Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni and The Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard, Major General Gary W. Keefe, are set to renew a memorandum of understanding that will extend the National Guard’s Counterdrug Program here in Hampden County through the partnership with District Attorney Gulluni.
The signing will allow the Hampden District Attorney’s Office and Mass State Police Detective Unit assigned to it, to continue to utilize Massachusetts National Guard and Department of Defense resources in support of the efforts by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office in fighting drug trafficking and distribution in this region.
The Hampden District Attorney’s Office was the first in Massachusetts to utilize this program when it was announced back in December of 2015.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated, “I am proud to announce the extension of this program under the leadership of Major General Keefe. This program has been a valuable tool in our extensive efforts to keep our citizens safe from drug dealers and traffickers who endeavor to profit from the devastation of addiction.”
In addition to the MOU signing, the National Guard, through the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, will present a total of $27,000.00 to the Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, and Ludlow Police Departments to purchase equipment to enhance their drug enforcement capabilities. District Attorney Gulluni commented, “This further shows the commitment of my office and the National Guard to support and assist police departments in their efforts to ensure citizens’ safety and to curb the opiate epidemic. This money will assist them in this fight.”
“We are committed to a continued partnership in the fight against illicit drugs in our neighborhoods,” said Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, The Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard. “The National Guard Counterdrug Program supports local law enforcement and state counterdrug operations by leveraging its unique military capabilities, national resources and community focus,” said Keefe.
The National Guard’s Counter Drug Program assigns personnel to the District Attorney’s Office to establish and maintain counterdrug information systems as well as provide intelligence analysis support to the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office.