Apr. 29—A tip about drug activity can be tough for small municipal police departments like Delmont to follow up on, Chief T.J. Klobucar said.

They just don't have the manpower, time and resources it can take to conduct surveillance, serve search warrants, make controlled drug purchases and, ultimately, identify a dealer. But with the help of the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force, those tips can turn into arrests.

The cooperation among state, county and local investigators involved with the task force has been instrumental in addressing the drug trade in Delmont, which is near the intersection of two major highways — routes 22 and 66, he said.

"For the smaller departments that don't have the bigger budgets, it helps us to effectively take on the problems in town," Klobucar said.

The Westmoreland County Drug Task Force is being used as a model for other operations across the state that are run by regional offices of the state Attorney General. Local officials involved in the group said increased communication over the past few years has helped investigators who are part of the force work together more efficiently to address the drug problem in communities.

The work is something they're proud of, though it might not always get the spotlight.

"We're all fighting for the same goal ... to keep the poison out of our communities," said Brenda D. Sawyer, regional director of the Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and Drug Control at the Attorney General's North Huntingdon office.

The task force is composed of municipal departments in Westmoreland County, state agents and county detectives. They work hand-in-hand on investigations and arrests, oftentimes sharing information and working across municipal or even county lines to connect the dots while tracking the drug trade.

"This is the best I've seen ... departments work together," said Rick Miller, task force coordinator at the local Attorney General's Office. "Someone may have a piece of the puzzle in another department that helps our investigation."

A couple of those inquiries have been fruitful lately:

—A lengthy investigation resulted in several arrests in February in connection with a fentanyl trafficking organization that authorities said was operating in Arnold, New Kensington and Tarentum. It involved thousands of packets that tested positive for fentanyl and heroin and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, according to court papers.

—Two people were arrested after task force members set up a controlled buy at a North Huntingdon motel in early April. An undercover officer purchased nearly 1,000 stamp bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl. Police reported finding a loaded gun that had been reported stolen, ammunition and $1,060.

Municipal police departments are reimbursed by the state for time their officers spend working on task force cases. In other counties, drug task forces are controlled by district attorneys and operate in a similar manner.

The regional forces started at least 30 years ago.

When officers get a tip, they can contact Miller. He takes it from there, gathering information and evidence with the help of task force members, which include a dedicated detective from North Huntingdon and Belgian Malinois Arko with handler Agent Wes Biricocchi. That North Huntingdon officer, who works undercover and declined to be identified for this story, said he has been able to increase the reach of his investigations through the partnership and makes drug arrests throughout the county, not just in the township.

In a case where police find a cache of drugs, they know they can contact Miller and help will be on the way from across the county.

"For me, that's huge," Klobucar said. "I know within an hour I'm going to have resources and people there to help me deal with the situation I have."

The task force also gives younger officers a taste of working on drug cases, said Mike Kanuch, supervisory narcotics agent. It can be encouraging for a municipal patrol officer to see a drug case develop from a community tip, North Huntingdon police Chief Rob Rizzo said.

"This gives us more assets," Rizzo said. "That's the only way we're going to fight it out there."

Penn Township police Detective Brad Buchsbaum said he has passed on knowledge gleaned from his task force work to his fellow officers. Officers involved with the task force can tap into help from Senior Deputy Attorney General Tomm Mutschler, who often assists with writing criminal complaints.

"That's invaluable to have that," said Westmoreland County Chief Detective Ron Zona, who said District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli has been supportive of how the task force is run and its results.

Working together has become pretty much second nature now, rather than keeping investigations separate.

"I think the communication is key on why it's so successful," Kanuch said.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .