County Attorney dissolves old task force

The roadway is now clear for Sheriff John Drum’s effort to lead a new interagency narcotics task force in La Paz County, after the County Attorney Tony Rogers dissolved the existing task force earlier this week.

In a letter written to the La Paz County Board of Supervisors, Parker Town Council and Quartzsite Town Council, Rogers says he found the CADRE task force functioning “well below capacity with limited participation by its members”, adding that “Infighting and intransigent behavior had rendered the organization nearly moribund.”

Rogers’ letter continues:

“We immediately commenced talks at the negotiation table, but despite several good starts and seemingly good progress, recent developments make it clear to me that CADRE is not workable and cannot be fixed. There is an intractable impasse that is diverting too much energy away from the job of fighting drugs and crime. Immediate action is necessary to eradicate the log jam and clear the way for a new intergovernmental agreement and a new task force that can function as envisioned. Therefore I will dissolve the La Paz County Anti-Drug and Racketeering task force, CADRE.”

CADRE was formed after an intergovernmental agreement was signed in 2007. La Paz County Sheriff John Drum has announced plans for a new task force under his control involving new intergovernmental agreements with multiple agencies, over criticism from the Parker and Quartzsite Police Chiefs.