Photo By Joseph Siemandel | Chief Warrant Officer Four Bill Elliott, Tribal Liaison with the Washington Military...... read more read more
Subscribe
With an opioid and fentanyl crisis devastating tribal communities across the state, the Washington National Guard’s CounterDrug Program (WA CDP) joined forces with tribal leaders, law enforcement, and public health professionals during the Tribal Opioid Fentanyl summit, May 20-22, 2025 at the Cowlitz Tribe’s reservation in Ridgefield, Wash.
The conference pulled together all agencies who work together to confront the crisis to share resources and strengthen collaboration. WA CDP used the opportunity to highlight the capabilities of the Western Regional Counterdrug Training Center (WRCTC) and reinforce its commitment to supporting tribal-led efforts through training, intelligence, and operational support.
“The [Western] Regional Counterdrug Training Center has been reaching out to tribal police and drug rehabilitative agencies to educate them on the training available at the WRCTC facility at Camp Murray,” said Chief Warrant Officer Four, Bill Elliott, tribal liaison for the Washington Military Department. “In addition, the WRCTC can provide this training at their reservation, which is very important to tribal law enforcement due to the current budget situation and lack of manpower to send officers off reservation.”
Recently the Washington Military Department hosted a conference for all the tribal chiefs of police and/or tribal counterdrug leadership. The event was attended by 25 tribal police departments and marked the first time many of these agencies have met in one place in more than 10 years.
The counterdrug program, in conjunction with the Washington Military Department, attends counterdrug conferences in the state to help ensure that tribal enforcement agencies are kept informed about the programs that affect their respective jurisdictions, Elliott explained.
The WA CDP also has provided briefings and coordination with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which provides drug trend tracking, training in drug prevention, and manages drug enforcement grant programs.
Elliott and CPT Josh Moen, Washington National Guard WRCTC team member, both believe the conference was beneficial for everyone who attended.
“The conference was very productive, with the tribal representatives impressed at the level of support they can receive from the National Guard,” said Moen. “A good example is the tribes do not have the funding to access aviation assets in support of counterdrug operations so the WA CDP has made its Lakota counterdrug helicopter available to support.”
Recently the WA CDP was involved in supporting tribal, state, county, and federal law enforcement agencies in the successful dismantling of a drug organization that was affecting the Lummi Indian Reservation. This support helped law enforcement confiscate a substantial amount of controlled substances and let to a number of people being arrested and awaiting federal prosecution.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2025 18:42 |
| Story ID: | 500132 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CounterDrug Program support Tribes during annual Anti-Opioid and Fentanyl Summit, by Joseph Siemandel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
