Washington County Sheriff's Department as well as sheriffs from Athens, Monroe, Noble, Meigs, and Morgan counties stand together for a photo Wednesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Washington County Sheriff Mark Warden, alongside sheriffs from Morgan, Athens, Meigs, Monroe, and Noble counties, announced access to congressionally directed spending funds totaling $454,000 for southeast Ohio.

Warden said with help from the county commissioners and various county organizations, they applied for the grant and were approved to receive the funding.

“This is a big day for southeast Ohio, you have six county sheriffs that are coming together,” said Warden. “This is not just your investigative division coming together, this is your entire agency coming together as a coalition and multiplying your work staff.”

Warden said the funds will be used for upgrading equipment such as cameras and safety technology, staff training and increase in workforce and improvement on various facilities.

“We’ll have in-car cameras that we’ll be putting in our cars throughout southeast Ohio,” he said. “We’re also investigating an infrastructure of investigative tools that will propel us into the future and make citizens safer in all six counties.”

Washington County Sheriff Mark Warden, middle, announces $454,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending funds on Wednesday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Warden said for example, these improvements will help areas such as the I-77 route that goes through multiple counties and has been a hub for narcotic trafficking. He said the improvements for each sheriff department will help eliminate crime and drug trafficking county-wide.

“Now we’re looking in the near future of forming a more robust unit and looking at weaponizing and grants to propel us and make us stronger,” he said.

Washington County Commissioner Charlie Schilling said this is a great example of collaboration across multiple counties.

“It’s a really good example of where we place an emphasis on public safety and what all goes into that,” he said. “Agencies can work together and serve the conjoining counties whenever there’s a need in some of these areas.”

Schilling said their contract with the government relations group Sunday Creek Horizons helped make the coalition into a reality.

“This is a coalition built to be an agency of one in southeast Ohio where we have each other’s backs and we’re working hard together to protect the citizens,” said Warden.

Morgan County Sheriff James Fisher said coalitions such as the one with the southeast Ohio sheriffs have a lasting effect.

“The people in the streets see it and they appreciate it,” he said. “We have to do what we have to do in order to keep everybody safe so they can enjoy their afternoon walks and sitting on their porches.”

Warden said he had a vision to build a coalition of sheriffs who would work together to make southeast Ohio a safe place. He said he had approached the other sheriffs about his idea and that’s how the process began.

Schilling said the sheriff approached him about the coalition to brainstorm and work together to turn Warden’s vision into a reality.

“We put our full weight behind it,” said Schilling.

Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith said he wanted to thank Warden for the idea and for approaching the county sheriffs about leveraging all of their resources to work together.

“I’ve been around for 12 years and this is the first time I’ve ever had a coalition of sheriffs willing to work together,” said Smith. “I think by joining this coalition, which I’m very happy to be part of, we can achieve that goal of having safer communities.”

The coalition will include Warden, Smith, Fisher, Meigs County Sheriff Scott Fitch, Monroe County Sheriff Derek Norman, and Noble County Sheriff Jason Mackie.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com