WEIRTON – Weirton Council will consider the latest request for its allotment of West Virginia opioid settlement funds, Monday, with a proposal once again geared toward aiding law enforcement efforts in the area.

A resolution will be presented to allocate $120,601 of the city’s portion of opioid settlement dollars to the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force to support the purchase of five years of cell phone extraction software and accompanying support

Council is scheduled to meet in regular session at 7 p.m., Monday, in the council chambers of the Weirton Municipal Building. The request was discussed, and recommended, during Friday’s meeting of the city’s Finance Committee.

“We’ve run this program for about eight years,” Sgt. Mike White, commander of the task force, explained.

The software is designed to extract data from smartphones and similar devices, with White indicating it primarily is used in situations involving drug overdoses and drug investigations, with the resolution noting “the extraction of data from mobile devices and other digital media has proven extremely useful for collection of evidence of illegal opioid sales, distribution networks, and coordination efforts among criminals in the area.”

White noted, through the local use of the program, law enforcement is able to get information within a matter of days instead of months as when phones are sent to labs in either Morgantown or Charleston.

The downside, he explained, is the cost of purchasing and using the software has increased as phone technology has improved.

“We’re getting to the point where the cost is going to choke out what we need for operations,” White said.

Weirton Police Chief Charlie Kush explained Friday the software used by the task force has been beneficial in numerous investigations in the city, a point reiterated by City Manager Mike Adams who indicated there have been approximately 500 such data extractions related to investigations in Weirton since 2017.

“We use them quite often,” Kush said.

The Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force was formed in 1992 as a cooperative effort to investigate cases of illegal narcotics operations and violent crimes in the area, incorporating members from the Weirton Police Department, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2012, the collaborative became a member of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, allowing expansion of investigations and networking with other law enforcement agencies across the country.

If approved Monday, it would be the fourth round of Weirton’s opioid funds provided for law enforcement purposes.

The city previously provided $9,586 to the Weirton Police Department for the purchase of DUI simulation goggles, $211,654.85 to purchase two vehicles and related equipment for the department’s K-9 division along with street-based video systems and license plate reader systems, and $74,926.36 to purchase video surveillance equipment for use in vehicles and city neighborhoods.

Council also has allocated $240,000 to the WVU Hancock County Extension Service to establish a prevention program assistant position, $277,555.10 to the Weirton Fire Department to purchase automated external defibrillators and a mechanical chest compression system, $66,000 to the Northwood Health Systems to fund a peer recovery support specialist position, and $82,964 to Northwood to support an outpatient peer recovery support services staff member.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)