DuPage County became eligible to receive federal assistance in addressing drug trafficking following its designation as part of the Chicago High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA) by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a release from U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) said.
As part of HIDTA, DuPage County can now utilize federal resources that can be used to assist federal, state and local law enforcement officials in drug traffic control efforts, including sharing intelligence, and funding for drug use prevention and drug treatment initiatives, the release said.
“Drug trafficking is a serious and growing problem in DuPage County,” Roskam said in the release. “Today’s announcement by (ONDCP) declaring DuPage County as a HIDTA designee will help us in our fight against drug use and trafficking. I thank our local law enforcement officials for their hard work in this effort and believe today’s announcement will provide the resources for closer coordination with federal and state level authorities to help make our streets safer for our children.”
Cook, Kendall, Will, and Grundy counties are other Chicago-area counties now part of HIDTA.
“Drug trafficking is a national problem that has to be addressed on the local level, and adding these counties to the HIDTA program is a critical part of this effort,” Richard Baum, acting director of ONDCP, said in the release.
“These new designations and the funding they will bring will help our Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers work together to disrupt and dismantle the trafficking networks that are bringing drugs into our communities,” Baum said.
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