Pubdate: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 Source: Blade, The (OH) Copyright: 2002 The Blade Contact: http://www.toledoblade.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/48 Author: Larry P. Vellequette SHERIFF LOOKS TO OHIO FOR DRUG-BUST SECRETS Monroe Deputies Work with OHP, Get Patrol Tips MONROE - Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy Tim Garbo said he couldn't help but think back now on the traffic stops he's made over his 12-year career and the things he didn't notice. If he only knew then what he learned last week after spending three days riding along with perhaps the most successful drug interdiction agency in the area: the Ohio Highway Patrol. "You look back now [at 12 years of traffic stops] and say the behaviors were definitely there," Deputy Garbo said. Hindsight may be 20/20, but Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield said foresight and the expert training four of his traffic deputies received from their colleagues over the last month should help his agency cut into the significant amount of drugs that flow through Monroe County each year. The sheriff sent his entire traffic section to spend three days each riding with troopers from the Ohio Highway Patrol's Criminal Patrol Team, which is headquartered in Findlay but operates primarily along the major interstates that cross the Toledo area. The goal is to teach his deputies the secrets of the OHP's success, which this year has resulted in the confiscation of more than $350,000 in cash, 220 pounds of marijuana, 13 pounds of cocaine, and 23 pounds of so-called "magic" mushrooms. "The Ohio Highway Patrol has the expertise that we were looking for. When you look for trainers, you want the best, and the best in this area is the OHP," Sheriff Crutchfield said. "We know drugs are coming through the area. We know not all of it is stopping in Monroe County, but we want to intercept as much of it as we can. It's a priority," he said. Sheriff Crutchfield said his department couldn't afford to leave drug enforcement to other agencies. That's because the impact of drugs is felt everywhere, including his jurisdiction. "I look at the entire crime picture in the county, and what we're finding in the different interviews with criminals that we arrest is that they're doing [the crime] predominately to fund their drug habit," the sheriff said. "You' re not going to completely cut off the supply, but our goal is to make it as difficult as we can for criminals to bring drugs into our community." OHP Sgt. Dean Laubacher, who commands the Findlay crime unit, said he and his troopers and their accompanying canines have been "hot" lately in their daily task of finding vehicles that might be loaded with drugs or drug money. But as the Monroe County deputies attest, the OHP's secret has little to do with profiling and everything to do with good police work. "The whole thing is to talk to people. That's pretty much it," Sergeant Laubacher explained. "It's talking to people and paying attention to behaviorisms - asking yourself, 'Does what they're doing make sense to you?' " The stint with the Monroe County deputies is one of the first times his unit has been asked to train officers from an outside agency, Sergeant Laubacher said, but likely won't be the last given its successful run over the last several months. "When you're hot, you keep doing what you're doing, and obviously, it's working. All we're trying to do is pass along whatever we're learning," to other agencies so that they, too can be successful, Sergeant Laubacher said. Brian Angerer has been a deputy in Monroe County since 1995, and has spent about a year working in the department's traffic section, investigating crashes and focusing his attention on traffic enforcement. During the last day of his ride-alongs, Deputy Angerer participated in a stop on the Ohio Turnpike of a pickup truck loaded with garbage sacks filled with marijuana. He said the things he learned from his three days with the OHP were eye opening and will ultimately make him much more attentive to those with whom he interacts. "The way I work has changed quite a bit as far as what I'm looking for," Deputy Angerer said. "The success I've had in taking drugs off the street has been real low-key stuff up till now, individual users mostly. Now we're dealing with people that are dealing with [drugs] in quantity." - --- MAP posted-by: Alex