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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><img width="624" height="147" style="width:6.5in;height:1.5312in" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01D98A59.213EB360" alt="Graphical user interface, text
Description automatically generated"></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">May 19, 2023
<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:20.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Gov. Little details Idaho State Police deployment to support Texas in fight against fentanyl<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little announced today the details of the Idaho State Police (ISP) deployment he directed to support the State of Texas’ efforts to secure
the border and improve Idaho’s ability to interdict illicit drugs to protect Idahoans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“As we’ve done before, Idaho is responding to the call for help from our neighbors along the border. We used a targeted approach to understand Texas’ needs and wanted
to make sure our troopers will bring back what they learn to better protect Idahoans,”
</span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Governor Little said.<b><i> “The focus of the mission is two-fold – the ISP troopers will serve as a force multiplier for the State of Texas when there is an increased need for
law enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border, and our troopers will receive on-the-job training and experience up-to-the-minute enforcement techniques that can be brought back and immediately applied in Idaho.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">In addition, Governor Little will travel to Weslaco, Texas, just miles from the Texas-Mexico border, next week to receive a briefing from Texas Department of Public Safety
(DPS) officials and fly over hot spots for illegal border crossings. The head of ISP, Col. Ked Wills, will join Governor Little for the briefing and tour.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The ISP deployment follows through on a commitment Governor Little made during his
</span><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-sots.pdf"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">State of the State and Budget Address</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">
in January.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">Law enforcement reporting shows the supply of illicit fentanyl from Mexico in our region has become much more prevalent. The majority of officers surveyed
reported that investigations involving fentanyl were directly tied to sources in Mexico. Approximately 96-percent of drug trafficking organizations investigated identified Mexico as the source country for drugs trafficked into the region.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">From 2020 to 2021, the rate of fentanyl-related overdose deaths doubled in Idaho.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">ISP deployment helps both Texas and Idaho<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Idaho worked with the State of Texas to determine their needs related to border security before identifying a plan that also serves to support Idaho law enforcement.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Two groups of six ISP troopers will deploy for two weeks each to assist and train with Texas DPS. Both groups will enhance their knowledge through varied experiences, such
as cross-border smuggling, human trafficking, and drug interdiction. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNoSpacing" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The first group, the
<b>Domestic Highway Enforcement Team</b>, will focus on drug concealment and interdiction techniques.
<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNoSpacing" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">A second group of
<b>SWAT troopers</b> will focus on human tracking and searching skills. The SWAT troopers will assist Operation Lone Star's Elite Brush Teams, who serve as a defense against transnational criminal behavior. They use a variety of sensors, tracking systems, and
other techniques to identify dangerous individuals and their intended destination. The ISP troopers will learn from them the latest techniques to implement when responding to critical incidents in Idaho.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The hands-on field training benefits include learning most current techniques used by criminals, which constantly change. They will learn the latest drug smuggling tactics
and how to identify them. They will enhance their tracking techniques to benefit local incidents in Idaho and build connections and networks within law enforcement for future investigations.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The troopers will return home to train local Idaho law enforcement on what they learned. The selected troopers are experts and trainers themselves. They help teach hundreds
of other state and local law enforcement officers in Idaho about illegal drug trends and updated enforcement techniques.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Governor Little’s past actions in support of border security, fight against fentanyl<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Governor Little
</span><a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/gop-governors-vow-to-help-abbott-patrol-border/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">joined 23 other governors earlier this week</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">
in supporting Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s plea to the nation’s governors to support the state secure the border.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">In September of 2021, the
</span><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/gov-little-25-other-governors-request-meeting-with-biden-on-border-crisis/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">governors plead the
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">President</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> to listen to them about the need to control the border. The letter followed </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/gov-little-19-other-governors-call-on-biden-harris-to-act-on-border-crisis/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">another
request</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> sent by the Governors earlier that year, which also went unanswered.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">Following the 15-day period with no response from the Biden administration, the governors released </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/governors-detail-their-policy-solutions-to-alleviate-border-crisis/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">10
policy solutions</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> the administration could enact immediately to protect America, restore security, and put us on a path to end the crisis at the southern border.
The administration never responded, and the border crisis has only become more deadly and dangerous for both Americans and migrants in the time that has passed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">Governor Little sent a </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/gov-little-details-his-plan-to-help-secure-u-s-mexico-border-and-protect-idahoans/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">team
of specialized state troopers</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> to Arizona in 2021 to assist with drug interdiction, and he joined half the nations’ governors in </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/26-governors-announce-creation-of-american-governors-border-strike-force/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">creating
the American Governors’ Border Strike Force</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">. He also </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/idaho-joins-lawsuit-challenging-bidens-title-42-border-decision/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">joined
a lawsuit</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> challenging Biden’s Title 42 border decision.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">Governor Little also </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/u-s-mexico-border-driving-idahos-growing-drug-threat/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">hosted
a roundtable with Idaho law enforcement</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> in 2021 to discuss Idaho’s growing drug threat and the connection to the U.S.-Mexico border, and he </span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/operation-esto-perpetua/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">created
Operation Esto Perpetua</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> in March of 2022 to protect our children from drugs.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529">In 2022, Governor Little recommended and the Legislature approved $250,000 to carry out objectives of the initiative, and he
</span><span style="color:#4472C4"><a href="https://gov.idaho.gov/pressrelease/gov-little-directs-1-million-to-fight-fentanyl-now/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#4472C4">directed another $1 million</span></a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#212529"> that
summer to fight the deadly impacts of fentanyl.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Governor Little launched a campaign,
</span><a href="https://www.fentanyltakesall.org/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Fentanyl Takes All</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">, to help educate and inform Idahoans, especially
our youth and their parents, about the dangers of fentanyl.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Governor Little also requested and the Legislature approved adding more roadside testing equipment to help ISP get fentanyl off our streets more quickly. Idaho will add
a new statewide drug interdiction team at ISP to intercept fentanyl coming into our state, and Idaho is improving information sharing between law enforcement, first responders, health care, tribes, coroners and others to tackle the problem strategically. Idaho
is also increasing resources for mental health and behavioral health to help prevent tragedy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"># # #<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Please DO NOT REPLY to this message. For press inquiries only, contact the Governor’s press office at (208) 854-3015 or e-mail
</span></i><a href="mailto:Madison.Hardy@gov.idaho.gov"><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Madison.Hardy@gov.idaho.gov</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">.
<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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