RADE gifts local law enforcement with new equipment

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - The Rapides Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) agency shared on Tuesday, September 12, that officers in Rapides Parish will be getting some new safety equipment. Eight law enforcement agencies within the parish will receive new vests, shields and radios, with the funds coming from RADE’s approximately 1.3 million dollars obtained from RADE drug seizures in the area.

Those receiving equipment were the Ball Police Department, Boyce Police Department, Cheneyville Police Department, Town of Glenmora Police Department, Forest Hill Police Department, Lecompte Police Department, McNary Police Department, Woodworth Police Department and the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office. The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Alexandria Police Department and Pineville Police Department opted out of this first round of disbursements.

Over $54,000 was used to buy the new equipment for each department in the parish. RADE officials said this shows another positive outcome of the agency, on top of getting drugs out of the community.

“The RADE Unit is committed to fighting the scourge of drugs in our community and will continue to target narcotics trafficking in Central Louisiana,” said Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood. “Putting bad guys in jails, taking their assets that they made to buy more drugs with, so we took that from them. And that’s how you hurt them. If you take their money from them, that’s how you hurt them.”

RADE officials said the agency was ranked #5 in the state with the number of drug seizures recorded.

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