Thomas Howard, City Marshal
4 Green St.
Newburyport, MA 01950
For Immediate Release
Friday, July 18, 2014
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Newburyport Police Officer Graduates from DEA Clandestine Drug Lab Training Program
Newburyport and Salisbury Officers Took Course in Virginia Free of Charge
NEWBURYPORT – Newburyport City Marshal Thomas H. Howard is pleased to report that Officer Joshua Tierney has just returned from a specialized and competitively sought-after training on secret drug labs.
This week-long Drug Enforcement Administration Clandestine Laboratory Training program, held in Quantico, Virginia certified Officer Tierney as a tech for clandestine labs — secret labs that are used in illegal drug development.
“We are very proud of Officer Tierney and his participation in this training, honored that he was chosen for such a specialized training. In today’s world, officers must be prepared for these sorts of encounters and findings,” Marshal Howard said. “This training is highly sought-after, the Newburyport Police Department is pleased that Officer Tierney was chosen for the program.”
Clandestine lab training is vitally important in modern law enforcement because municipal police are often the first people to encounter these laboratories operating in communities. First responders must be trained to ensure that these labs are safely and properly investigated, dismantled, and disposed of.
Officer Tierney was joined by Salisbury Police Officer Michael Tullercash at the class.
“I am happy to report that Officer Tullercash has successfully completed this rigorous and important training.” said Salisbury Police Chief Thomas W. Fowler. “This is an excellent example of not only partnering with our neighbors in Newburyport but also our Federal Law Enforcement counterparts in battling illicit drugs.”
As part of its mission to enforce drug laws and bring drug producers to justice, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) provides training programs such as these to prepare officers and agents for what they may find in the field.
The DEA provides the training, housing, and travel expenses to municipal police departments free of charge.
Secret drug labs present significant dangers to communities and to the first responders who arrive to deal with them. Because of the unique circumstances involving in raiding a clandestine laboratory site, the DEA determined that there was a need for tactical, hands-on training specifically for these labs. The Clandestine Laboratory Tactical Training School was developed in 2000.
The Quantico lab that the training took place at is a 32,000 square feet facility, allowing room for training including the full use of issued equipment including air purifying respirators and self contained breathing apparatuses. This training is the most widely recognized law enforcement-sponsored clandestine laboratory training course meeting OSHA standards in the country. It is available to DEA Special Agents and state and municipal officers throughout the United States and abroad.
To learn more about this highly specialized training to to http://www.justice.gov/dea/ops/Training/Clandestine.shtml
If you are aware of any illegal drug activity or clandestine labs, you may submit an anonymous tip to the Newburyport Police Department at 978 462-4411.
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