MONTEREY, Calif. -- In the latest move to pool resources and find efficiencies across the Central Coast, Monterey Peninsula police chiefs have proposed a regional task force aimed at fighting narcotics trafficking and gang activity across the six city area.
The police agencies are working off the blueprint of the Monterey Peninsula Special Response Unit, a regional SWAT team unveiled in 2010. In agenda paperwork filed with the Monterey city council, officials said they zeroed in on narcotics crimes because they don't fit neatly within city limits and, as a result, the investigations are typically collaborative in nature.
"A person dealing drugs in Monterey may obtain their narcotics from a higher level dealer in another city," wrote Monterey police chief Phil Penko in agenda paperwork. "Here information sharing and coordinated investigations are the most effective way to address narcotics dealing and trafficking in our city and throughout the Monterey Peninsula."
The specialized task force, dubbed the Peninsula Regional Violence and Narcotics Team, would be made up of personnel from the Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove, Marina, Sand City, Seaside, and California State University Monterey Bay police departments, as well as the Monterey County District Attorney and the California Highway Patrol.
The team would be based in Monterey, and the city's police department has already begun spending money on infrastructure. Approximately $12,000 in asset seizure funds has been allocated for workstations, and $3,024 from the police department budget has been used for telephones. The department plans on seeking reimbursements from the participating agencies once the team is in place, and each department will be responsible for compensating its officers.
The Monterey City Council is expected to vote on a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with the other peninsula cities and agencies to form the regional team. The meeting begins Tuesday at 4:00 at Monterey City Hall, located at 580 Pacific Street.
