TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — "We will be one of those agencies that will be reaching out to the state. We understand that the state has some dollars available to assist us in those efforts and we will be asking for some assistance from our Governor," said Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil.
Tallahassee has seen 21 cases involving fentanyl over the last 6 months, according to TPD. Sheriff McNeil said they have seen a small decline but says it's not without real effort.
Last year the sheriff's office introduced a high intensity drug trafficking designation. It was put in place to address the flow of drugs in and out of Leon County by partnering with other law enforcement agencies. Though, officers believe the fight against drugs is far from over.
"I don't think we're ever going to eradicate drugs from our society," said McNeil.
Instead, the plan is to educate the community to prevent any drug issues before they get started.
"We actually are trying to make sure that more than anything else, generationally, we educate each generation across our communities," said McNeil.
Law enforcement is not alone in their mission. Partner agencies like Disc Village have also taken a stance when it comes to spreading information to the community. They said that the police have played a big role in pointing people in their direction.
"If the law enforcement are going out to a call for example, they've done a really good job with contacting us and trying to engage them in services or treatment," said Director of Operations Jennifer Travieso.
Travieso has worked for Disc Village for over 17 years. She said although cases are low now the fight isn't over, and more resources means the more people that can get help.
"The main thing that's the most important is we don't want anybody to feel— we don't want there to be barriers to treatment," said Travieso.
