Monticello, NY - District Attorney Meagan K. Galligan has allocated more resources to support Sullivan County’s Opioid Epidemic Task Force and is seeking additional federal funding to combat drug-related crime in Sullivan County.
Galligan announced today that her Office has reallocated resources to support its leadership of the Task Force, and that the Federal Government has accepted her application for designation of Sullivan County as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (“HIDTA”).
Yesterday, the Sullivan County Legislature unanimously approved Galligan’s proposal to restructure the assignments of her District Attorney’s Investigators to dedicate more time to the implementation of pre-arrest intervention strategies and criminal investigation of higher-level distributors.
Galligan’s HIDTA application seeks federal recognition that drug-related activities in Sullivan County are having a significant harmful impact on the area, and that an increase in allocation of federal resources is necessary to adequately respond to drug-related activities here. In addition to designation as a HIDTA area, her application seeks funding for a dedicated Sullivan County crime analyst to be stationed at the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and work on drug trend analysis and major investigations.
District Attorney Galligan stated, “I am pleased that our County Legislature supports my Office’s dedication to the opiate crisis in our community. HIDTA designation and funding is an important piece of the puzzle in combatting Sullivan County’s dangerous opiate crisis. As we have made clear through our work on the Opioid Epidemic Task Force, new approaches and new tools to support those already in place are necessary and overdue. I am proud of the progress we are making as a team and I am hopeful that, together, we can save lives.”
Galligan thanked the following individuals for their support in the preparation, filing and sponsorship of the application:
· New York State Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther
· New York State Senator Michael Martucci
· United States Senator Charles Schumer
· Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff
· Town of Fallsburg Police Chief Simmie Williams
· Village of Liberty Police Chief Scott Kinne
· Village of Monticello Police Chief Robert Mir
· New York State Police Investigator’s Association President Timothy Dymond
· New York State Police PBA President Thomas Mungeer
· Sullivan County Director of Public Health Nancy McGraw
· Sullivan County Deputy Director of Public Health Wendy Brown
· Sullivan County Public Health Educator Jill Hubert-Simon
· NY/NJ HIDTA Hudson Valley Drug Intelligence Officer Bernadette Wilton