MOUNT VERNON – Police Chief Robert Morgan told the City Council that the Mount Vernon Police Department seized more than 470 grams of methamphetamine this year.
“Here's a scary one we've collected almost 50 grams of fentanyl. ... If that was pure fentanyl, that’s enough to kill everybody in the city of Mount Vernon twice,” Morgan said during a City Council committee meeting on Monday night.
Another 842 grams of marijuana, 3.8 grams of heroin and 15 grams of cocaine were also seized.
Methamphetamine is the drug of choice with fentanyl a close second. Morgan said meth used to be laced with fentanyl to give it a little “kick” but now a lot of people use straight fentanyl, which he said is scary.
Drug case numbers are down from last year with officers responding to 14 drug overdoses. Morgan said three drug overdose deaths have happened this year, about half of what occurred last year from January to late August. Officers also investigated one suicide call.
Total calls for service this year were 10,760 as of 4 o’clock Monday afternoon. Morgan reported 142 domestic violence cases and 26 sex offense cases. The officers of the department have handled more than 440 car crashes and made 3,416 traffic stops this year. Officers have issued 1,300 citations and 50 warnings.
Morgan reported 167 felony indictments through the Common Pleas Court, with 70 of them nondrug-related offenses. He added that 97 drug-related cases were pushed up to felony court this year.
Those cases included nine felony 2s (F-2), 10 that were classified as F-3, and five F-4. Of the 73 F-5 cases, many were drug possessions and small trafficking incidents.
The police department has confiscated 17 guns and has seized approximately $2,500 in cash that’s pending the court system right now, which will determine whether the department is able to keep the funds or must return them.
The police department expects to fill one vacancy with a candidate in the pipeline and is continuing to search for another candidate to fill a second vacancy.
“We have had tremendous problems in getting qualified recruits to come to the city of Mount Vernon. But we’re not the only ones,” Morgan said.
Columbus is short of 300 officers, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is down 400 troopers, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office is looking to hire several deputies and Fredericktown wants to hire officers.
“Competition for good recruits out there is at an all-time high,” Morgan said.
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