The Wadsworth Church of the Nazarene was packed with residents Thursday night eager to hear information from experts about drug treatment options, how to spot signs of possible drug-related activity and what to do if you notice anything suspicious.
One of the sure signs drug activity is going on in your neighborhood is strange cars or people coming/going at strange hours of the night. Authorities say if you notice anything suspicious at all, you can anonymously contact police and they will investigate.
Wadsworth has been talking about adding a K-9 cop to its force. Now, a recent Supreme Court decision makes it harder for a drug-sniffing dog to get to the scene of a traffic stop –the way most drugs are brought into town — in time.
“If someone’s stopped for speeding and the officer is going to give them a written warning, it normally takes an officer four minutes to write the written warning, you need to have a dog there in four minutes in order to legally be allowed to use that dog to locate drugs. It tremendously hampers law enforcement,” explained Gary Hubbard, with the Medina County Drug Task Force, about the ruling.
Hubbard said the closest K-9 cop is in Lodi – 20 minutes away.
Another heroin awareness meeting will be held next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Trinity United Church of Christ on High Street. Tom Palecek will lead this meeting.
