With drugs streaming into Washington, state turns to National Guard for help
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. -- Illegal drugs are pouring into Washington by land, sea and air, and law enforcement officers need special training to stop that flow.
But Washington is in a financial crunch, so the state has called in the National Guard to help out with training.
At Camp Murray, the guard is proud to be right in the middle of the fray in the battle to stop those drugs from slipping into the state.
The men and women of law enforcement who come to Camp Murray are undergoing special training, learning everything from the Russian language to treating wounds.
In one room, eager students are learning how to draw up maps on a computer. Others are learning how to find drugs in a car.
"It teaches us secret compartments various drug users or drug dealers store their narcotics and different ways they hide it from us," said Chris Davis of the Tenino Police Department.
The students are from all over the state, and they're all members of law enforcement. Some are police officers, others are members of the Washington State Patrol, and some are in drug enforcement.
All of the classes are free to law enforcement.
"A lot of these smaller departments, they can't afford a training budget, but their people still need to get trained," said Albert Shock, Camp Murray's counter drug coordinator.
One building over, another set of students are receiving medical training that can be vital in the field and help save lives.
"Little bit of a crash course, feeding us everything we need," said Josh Bowman of the Veterans Affairs Police Department.
All of the classes are part of the Guard's Counter Drug Task Force
"Sometimes for the marijuana eradication effort, we have cases that build up for the whole year," Shock said. "And they request our support when they go in to actually take down the grow."
Most of the people attending the classes don't want to be identified because they're embedded too deep in the drug fight.
In addition to teaching classes at Camp Murray, the guard takes their show on the road, sometimes traveling as far as California and Arizona.
But Washington is in a financial crunch, so the state has called in the National Guard to help out with training.
At Camp Murray, the guard is proud to be right in the middle of the fray in the battle to stop those drugs from slipping into the state.
The men and women of law enforcement who come to Camp Murray are undergoing special training, learning everything from the Russian language to treating wounds.
In one room, eager students are learning how to draw up maps on a computer. Others are learning how to find drugs in a car.
"It teaches us secret compartments various drug users or drug dealers store their narcotics and different ways they hide it from us," said Chris Davis of the Tenino Police Department.
The students are from all over the state, and they're all members of law enforcement. Some are police officers, others are members of the Washington State Patrol, and some are in drug enforcement.
All of the classes are free to law enforcement.
"A lot of these smaller departments, they can't afford a training budget, but their people still need to get trained," said Albert Shock, Camp Murray's counter drug coordinator.
One building over, another set of students are receiving medical training that can be vital in the field and help save lives.
"Little bit of a crash course, feeding us everything we need," said Josh Bowman of the Veterans Affairs Police Department.
All of the classes are part of the Guard's Counter Drug Task Force
"Sometimes for the marijuana eradication effort, we have cases that build up for the whole year," Shock said. "And they request our support when they go in to actually take down the grow."
Most of the people attending the classes don't want to be identified because they're embedded too deep in the drug fight.
In addition to teaching classes at Camp Murray, the guard takes their show on the road, sometimes traveling as far as California and Arizona.
With the National Guard helping...why do we need 40-50 Border Patrol agents in Port Angeles? Not to mention their new headquarters building that cost us $11 MILLION. They seldom have anything to do.