Drug Task Force

The Cowley County Drug Task Force was formed in 1985 through the cooperation of the Winfield Police Department, Arkansas City Police Department and the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office. The funding was done initially through a Federal Grant called the Byrnes Memorial Grant.

This Federal Grant Program helps agencies get started and over time the grant money is reduced and usually phased out. It is intended that the Task Forces built will be maintained by the agencies who created them.

The Cowley County Drug Task Force is no longer funded through grant money and is totally maintained and funded by the three agencies involved in the Task Force. The Cowley County Drug Task Force also works closely with other law enforcement agencies inside and outside of Cowley County, including the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas City Police Department and Winfield Police Department each provide one officer dedicated to the Drug Task Force. The Cowley County Drug Task Force Officers, besides being responsible for drug related investigations throughout all of Cowley County, also conduct many drug education programs for schools, civic groups and other organizations.

The Drug Task Force has been a model for other agencies throughout the state and been the subject of several media articles in various newspapers as well as television news casts and special programs in the Wichita Eagle, Channel 12 News and MSNBC. The Cowley County Drug Task Force has been successful due to the cooperation of all three agencies involved.