HANCOCK COUNTY — The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department’s PACE Team — which works as a collaboration among several agencies and counties — recently received national recognition for criminal justice excellence.
The PACE team was nominated by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for the award, which was handed out by the Department of Justice.
The group also received letters of commendation from the United States Department of Justice in the field of drug interdiction.
The home-grown PACE program was started by Ernstes, who wrote a comprehensive federal grant that compiled statistical research regarding drug abuse patterns in Hancock, Henry and Wayne County. The inter-agency task force assigns officers who patrol Interstate 70 in an effort to interrupt the flow of drugs.
“Our program was the first of its kind nationally that mixed multi-jurisdictions in a collaborative effort spanning across those jurisdictions,” Ernstes said.
Thanks to the effort now there are multiple agencies across the United States that have created programs modeling them after the Hancock County PACE team’s efforts.
