Massachusetts kicks off inaugural Top Gun training

The Massachusetts National Guard Counter Drug Program, Massachusetts State Police and Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association hosted the inaugural Top Gun Massachusetts Undercover Narcotics Officer Training course September 16-22 here.

Eighty participants were given the opportunity to learn the most current information on investigative tactics and the law in regards to drug cases. Course participants were taught through a combination of classroom briefs and hands on exercises. The all encompassing classes delved into all stages of an investigation and taught them how to work through the case from the time they receive initial information through issuance of search warrants and taking the case to court.

According to Cpt. Daniel Everett of the Maryland State Police, this training is a way to bring people together and the officers can learn to really understand what an Assistant District Attorney(ADA) needs to prosecute a case while the ADA’s get an opportunity to see what the undercover officers go through.

“We are training these folks to build a good case that will lead to convictions and directly impact the amount of opioids that are flowing throughout the Northeast, specifically in Massachusetts,” stated Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, Massachusetts Adjutant General. He went on to state that it is important because everyone in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been impacted in some way by the opioid epidemic.

Members of the Northeast Counterdrug Training Center from Maryland and Pennsylvania assisted with helping Massachusetts host their first Top Gun training event.

“We were able to get them all their instructors through our schools and then we shadowed them out to kind of teach them or help them along with the program,” said Everett.

According to Keefe, funding has already been secured to run Top Gun 2 here next year. The goal is for Top Gun to be an annual training event to continue training law enforcement officials and assistant district attorneys how to battle the war on drugs.

When speaking about the training Everett stated, “I speak for Maryland, I speak for Pennsylvania, and now Massachusetts when I say that its just a really great thing when you’re passionate about undercover work; to see everybody come together and make this happen. Its been a collective work from everybody and its been outstanding.”

 

Suicide Prevention & Awareness


Sexual Assault Prevention

External Links | FOIA | Privacy Policy | NoFEAR Policy | FAQ | Webmaster

© Copyright 2023,  Massachusetts National Guard