After a three-week special operation throughout the month of March, the Wheeling Police Department is pleased to share results of a law enforcement blitz to curb multiple drug related issues on Wheeling Island.

Led by North District Commander Lt. Russ Campbell and the WPD patrol divisions, the operation was supported by the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force and the West Virginia Division of Corrections Parole Office. Thanks to the cooperation between all entities, the task produced several arrest and law enforcement interactions.

The operation netted 15 arrests, (many wanted from other jurisdictions), 17 criminal citations, 70 traffic stops, 23 consensual encounters, and multiple verbal warnings. Officers worked roughly 188 hours between March 3-27 and used funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to cover all manpower costs.

Police worked several targeted days of the week during the three-week operation, thanks to data provided by WPD’s Crime Analyst, who focused on specific days and times when drug activity takes place and when overdoses are likely to occur.

When comparing overdoses from the 25-day operation to the same time in 2019 (2020 was not used because of the stay-at-home order), there was a 50-percent reduction in cases.

The officers also worked in a variety of roles, including uniformed patrols, walking in various neighborhoods, encountering suspected criminals in a non-uniformed setting, and using various surveillance tools.

The Wheeling Police Department remains committed to fighting criminal drug activity on Wheeling Island and all city neighborhoods. Residents and visitors can report crime in various ways, either by telephone, 304-234-3664, anonymous crime tips at wheelingwv.gov/crimetip or the Crime Stoppers Upper Ohio Valley tip line at 877-TIPS4US.