Drug task force
to rise again?

[This is the fourth article in a series on drug and alcohol abuse in Wayne County.]

By TOM KANE

WAYNE COUNTY — If Wayne County and the Borough of Honesdale would rejoin the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s task force program, money would become available for extra officers to fight the county’s and borough’s escalating problem of drug and alcohol addiction.

As it is now, Honesdale Police Chief Tom Frisk doesn’t have the money in his budget to pay for extra officers.

A year ago, the Honesdale borough dropped out of the task force, thereby losing the money for extra officers.

“We weren’t getting enough of a bang for the buck,” said Wayne County District Attorney Mark Zimmer. “The Honesdale officers who were assigned to the task force didn’t work for Honesdale. In fact, sometimes they worked out of the county completely.”

Does that mean the money from the attorney general’s office is totally lost?

“No,” Zimmer said. “When we put our own task force together, that money will be available to us again.”

First, however, the participating police forces need approval from their municipal boards and the Wayne County Commissioners. “We’re in the process of getting all that organized,” Zimmer said. “We should be ready to start the task force by early fall.”

Frisk said the problem of addiction in Honesdale is growing exponentially as in the rest of the county, especially the use of heroin. “My men are busy with their normal duties and can’t get into this problem as deeply as is warranted,” Frisk said.

Other police forces belonging to the now-defunct task force included: Hawley, Waymart and Lehigh Township.

Before Honesdale dropped out of the task force, it conducted an investigation that rounded up approximately 20 heroin, Oxycotin and marijuana dealers, who were also narcotics users. Most of the individuals were from Hamlin and Lackawaxen, Frisk said.

The PA State Police, also working hard to control drug and alcohol abuse, were not members of the task force.

“We hope to belong to it when it is reestablished,” said Honesdale State Police Barracks Commander Lieutenant Robert Evanchick.

According to Evanchick, the task force is sorely needed. “People think this is a rural area and there’s no drug problem here. I’m going to be very blunt. It’s here and it’s not going away anytime soon,” he said.

Editor’s note: The River Reporter learned as we go to press that a meeting was just held on August 21 by the District Attorney’s office and participating police including Honesdale for the purpose of reorganizing the task force.