Law Enforcement In Dodge County Working Together To Fight The Opioid Crisis

(Beaver Dam) Dodge County law enforcement is working together to fight the opioid crisis. Mayville Police Chief Ryan Toellner is the Chair of the Dodge County Drug Enforcement Unit Board of Directors. 

The opioid epidemic is the deadliest illicit drug crisis in the history of the United States, Toellner says. In 2021 alone, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 75,673 opioid-related overdose deaths.

In Dodge County, the cases have more than doubled in the past five years. Law enforcement agencies in Dodge County have banded together forming the Dodge County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force. The agencies currently involved include the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office along with police departments from Beaver Dam, Columbus, Horicon, Iron Ridge, Juneau, Lomira, Mayville, Watertown, and Waupun.

In 2020, law enforcement leaders from the involved agencies formed the Dodge County Muti-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Board of Directors, which meets regularly, to find ways to constantly improve the task of fighting the opioid crisis that continues to cause addiction and the deaths that occur from overdoses. The agencies are investigating not only drug delivery to take illicit drugs off the street, but they are also investigating drug overdoses to hold accountable those who provide illicit drugs to overdose victims.

Toellner says effective collaboration is essential in fighting this crisis. The board recognizes that law enforcement alone cannot fight this problem by itself.  According to Toellner, we must all fight as a team to put a stop to overdose deaths and the devastation that drugs have in Dodge County.