DELAWARE CITY, DE (KYW Newsradio) -- You may not be aware of how far America is going to fight the war on opioid addiction. The National Guard is taking part, and Delaware Governor John Carney got a look at what troops under his control are doing.
Each state has a Counter Drug Task Force. What they do depends on what the state needs. In Delaware’s case, they team up with New Jersey and Maryland to provide support to civilian law enforcement.
Carney got a chance to use a computer simulator that aids in training for dealing with armed suspects in public places.
“Just to actually be in a simulation like that and really understand and appreciate the split second decisions that law enforcement has to make,” Carney said to reporters after the hour long tour.
He was also briefed on efforts help police keep illegal drug shipments in check, and he got a close look at a state of the art helicopter used in that effort.
There was some concern that recent efforts within the Trump Administration to shift defense department funds for the border wall might affect work like this.
“Funding for the National Guard Counter Drug program is a line item number within the congressional budget,” Task Force Major General Michael Murphy told KYW Newsradio. “So that funding should not be reallocated.”
Carney says he’ll use the information from this session in meetings this weekend in Washington with the National Governor’s Association and the state’s congressional delegation.