FARMINGTON —  Delegates from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department attended a National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition annual meeting this month in Washington, D.C.

Detective Tom White and Cpl. Stephen Charles attended the national coalition which represents more than 70,000 narcotic officers across the United States. The 75 delegates were there to help set national drug policy during the coalition.

Keynote speakers at the conference included Michele Leonhart, administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Honorable Edwin Meese, the 75th attorney general of the United States.

White and Charles also met with the Maine congressional delegation on Feb. 7 to discuss the Byrne/Jag Justice Assistance Program, which funds narcotic enforcement investigations in Maine.  They also met with other New England delegations to garner support.

“The importance of the continued Byrne/Jag funding is imperative to the well-being of our communities.  Because the majority of the abused drugs in Maine are from other countries, or from other states, funding for narcotic law enforcement should be the responsibility of the federal government. We are just not financially capable to fund a drug task force without federal assistance,” White said.