Sheriff Niemeier Tackles Drug Problems

On March 26, I published a blog focused on the area’s opioid epidemic and each Bracken County Sheriff candidate’s view on the pressing issue. Sheriff Niemeier reached out to me but said he would like to have more time to officially respond as he was busy serving as Sheriff during the day and with campaign engagements in the evening. 

This week, I was ecstatic to hear back from Sheriff Niemeier. The Sheriff responded to my questionnaire with specifics and very organized information. Sheriff Niemeier touts a very lengthy list of accomplishments and programs implemented focused on the ongoing drug problem in the county.

Sheriff Niemeier started by stating that there have been numerous changes to the Sheriff’s Office since coming into the position in 2011. Niemeier said, “The Office added a Detective position and has become more proactive in solving crimes, initiated numerous crime prevention programs, enhanced professionalism in the agency, improved equipment for deputies and Bracken County Dispatch Center, and the agency has taken a strong stance against the drug problem in our Community.”

Sheriff Niemeier said that he is often asked about what the Sheriff’s Office is doing to fight the drug issue in the county during his campaign. Niemeier stands behind the programs implemented during his time in office.

The DEA Drug Take Back Program was put into place to encourage citizens to bring old, unused or expired prescriptions to the Sheriff’s Office for the DEA to properly destroy. Similar to the DEA program, Sheriff Niemeier helped implement a Drug Drop Box at the Sheriff’s Office. This box is for anyone to leave their old, unused or expired prescriptions.

The Drug Tip Hotline was developed for anyone to call and leave anonymous tips about drug and other criminal activity.

Sheriff Niemeier has emphasized the importance of drug education and the office of Sheriff being a resource for schools. There have been routine K-9 drug sweeps, a newly installed school resource officer program, “shout out boxes” in schools where anonymous notes can be left by students with information about drugs or about praising the school and its staff and the SALUTE program has also been put into motion. Niemeier said, “ The SALUTE (Students And Law Enforcement United Through Education) program in the Bracken County and Augusta School Systems is used to instruct kids in the first, second, fifth, seventh and ninth grades each year. This program was written and developed by Chief Deputy Bob Scott and myself to meet the needs of our county and what we felt needed to be taught in the schools to address the drug problem in our community.”

To keep an ongoing dialogue with the county, Sheriff Niemeier has implemented regular press releases and town hall meetings. The Sheriff also talked about the Citizens’ Police Academy, a ten week class that meets once a week and covers numerous topics. The program includes information from the county attorney, CASA, Cabinet for Family Human Services and  drug investigations. Firearms Training Simulator (FATS), crime scene investigation, interviewing, driving under the influence, and other law enforcement topics are also explored. This class is used to inform the citizens of capabilities of the Sheriff’s office and the criminal justice system.

The Sheriff also mentioned initiating proactive patrol from the Sheriff’s department and specifics on the process of drug investigations. Niemeier said, “There have been over 120 drug trafficking charges filed during my first seven years, with over 150 other drug related charges filed during this period. There is a misconception of the citizens that we can do more than we are capable of doing. Most citizens believe that because there is a lot of traffic at a certain location that we can stop those coming and going and make arrests. The law protects these citizens, we have to have probable cause in order to stop someone. Law changes have also made it more difficult to conduct these investigations. The costs associated with these investigations have gone up due to the amount of drugs that need to be purchased to make it a felony now. In order to complete these investigations we must use confidential informants to make drug buys. The term `confidential informant’ does not mean what it used to mean, in the past it meant that the person’s identity could be kept confidential and would not have to be divulged at any time. However, this is no longer the case. Anyone that chooses to work for us as a confidential informant is told up front that we can no longer keep their identity confidential, that when the charges are filed we will have to turn over all evidence in the case including the identity of the confidential informant. This information quickly changes the dynamics of someone wanting to work as a confidential informant as all the ones arrested will know their identity. When we respond to drug overdoses the law has been changed where we are unable to file any charges against the person who has overdosed or those who called in the overdose. Even if there are drugs there in our presence the law states we cannot charge.”

The Sheriff closed by doubling down on his work as Sheriff with some specific figures. The Sheriff said, “All of this proactive work by the Sheriff’s Office has resulted in our crime rate being down in the County 62%. Burglaries are down 91%, thefts over $500 are down 83%, thefts under $500 are down 77%. The Sheriff’s office has also increased traffic violations from a low of 85 to a high of 540 in 2017 which is a 600% increase in activity. These traffic stops are used to help fight the drug issues we have in the County.”

Sheriff Niemeier added, “The agency will continue to aggressively investigate and enforce the drug laws in the County. It is important for the citizens to remember that these investigations are time consuming and can take eighteen months to two years to complete. Law enforcement is about improving the quality of life of our citizens, not just making arrests as that is only one aspect of the job and we are not going to arrest our way out of this drug problem that we fight on a daily basis.”

I want to thank Sheriff Niemeier for taking the time to answer questions and for being very specific. I hope this helps everyone who is intending to cast a vote for the  next Sheriff of Bracken County. Good luck to Sheriff Niemeier as well as Mr. Stears and Mr. Cox in the upcoming election.