As the state steps up its effort to eradicate marijuana growing operations, it will depend on “eyes in the sky” to help get the job done. Those eyes come in the form of the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Captain Terry Koehn is the counter drug coordinator for the Civil Air Patrol. He says the drug enforcement side of the patrol is one that the public doesn’t know much about, as he says they’re more aware of the group’s efforts to find missing airplanes, the cadet program, and the aerospace program in the schools. Koehn says C-A-P pilots volunteer to help with the effort to find illegal marijuana fields.He says the pilot’s backgrounds are checked, and then they’re train in how to help law enforcement officers find the illegal drug fields. Koehn says the C-A-P is anxious to help find and destroy illegal marijuana growing operations.He says they stand prepared, ready and willing to help law enforcement agencies. Koehn says the flights to find drugs are funded through the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, so they don’t cost local cops anything.
Iowa's Radio News Network
