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Winston council authorizes assignment of an officer to county narcotics team
Summary
Council approved Resolution 26-1226 authorizing the city manager to enter an agreement assigning one full-time certified officer to the Douglas County Interagency Narcotics Team (DENT); the arrangement is presented as fully funded in year one and intended to provide investigative capacity and interagency coordination.
The Winston City Council on June 1 approved Resolution 26-1226, authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement assigning one full-time certified Winston officer to the Douglas County Interagency Narcotics Team (DENT).
Police leadership framed the resolution as an opportunity to provide the department with specialized investigative experience without reducing patrol staffing. “We’re maintaining our current staffing level and adding one going into the narcotics team,” the police chief said, adding that the county will reimburse the city quarterly for the assigned officer’s overtime and benefits.
Nick Hanson, lieutenant with the sheriff’s office and commander of DENT, described the task force’s interagency history and operations, noting its partnerships with federal prosecutors and agencies. Hanson said a one-year grant supports some positions in the unit and that the arrangement gives local officers access to prosecutorial coordination and training. “When you come out, you’re ten times better than when you went in,” he said of officers who serve on the team.
Councilors asked procedural questions about governance and funding; Hanson said the DENT board (including the sheriff, city police captain, county commissioner and the district attorney) provides oversight and that the unit is managed as a county department. Council moved and approved the resolution by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The action authorizes the city manager to sign the agreement and begin the assignment, with the first officer expected to be assigned by July 1 or earlier, depending on final coordination and DEQ/administrative steps where relevant to equipment and transfer processes noted elsewhere in the meeting.
