No More Narcs
Mono County to discontinue narcotics task force
“Parents ask me, ‘Can’t you arrest this guy who’s selling drugs to my kids?’ and I have to tell them, ‘No,’” Mono County District Attorney Tim Kendall told the Mono County Supervisors at their meeting on Wednesday, June 6. At the meeting, Kendall announced the disbanding of the Mono County Narcotics Enforcement Team, or MONET.
“Mammoth has a very disturbing underbelly that has been kept in check by this program,” Kendall said.
The primary reason for the cut is the lack of personnel to continue what had been a joint team with the Mono County Sheriff’s Department, Mono County District Attorney, the Mammoth Lakes Police Department and Mono County Probation Department for 27 years.
The elimination of the program means no agency in Mono County will be investigating narcotics cases. According to Kendall, Mono County will be the only county in the state without a narcotics enforcement program.
MONET had been successful until the Town of Mammoth Lakes became embroiled in a lawsuit on a development deal and subsequently settled with the developer. The Town is still paying off a $30 million debt at the rate of approximately $2 million a year since 2012. In 2012, MLPD pulled out of MONET when the number of officers employed by the town dropped from 17 to 11 due to budget cuts.
