Mission
The North Carolina Counterdrug Program (CDP) is a joint Army and Air task force comprised of Soldiers and Airmen from the North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) tasked to support local, federal and state law enforcement agencies in the effort to stem the negative influence of drugs on our communities. The CDP is funded by a mandate from Congress to provide unique military skills to law enforcement in direct support of drug interdiction operations and support to community-based organizations combating substance abuse. Types of support include criminal analysts, aerial and ground reconnaissance, marijuana eradication and drug abuse prevention support.
Our Team
Director
Craig Korcz
(984) 664-6322
Executive Officer
Brian Handlon
(984) 664-7649
Noncommissioned Officer in Charge
Nicole Smashum-Lynch
(919) 664-6487
nicole.smashum_lynch@us.af.mil
Main Switchboard
(984) 664-8505
About Us
A National Effort, A Local Focus
While the CDP is federally funded, CDP Soldiers serve on "Title 32" status, which means they are under the control of the State. While we are full-time Soldiers, we are also permanent members of the communities we serve. We are not providing support to customers – we are providing support to neighbors. Each State and Territory develops their own vision to support the agencies within their State, and the vision of the NC CDP is tailored by responding to the needs of our Law Enforcement partners and the trends of those who prey on our communities for illicit activities.
What authorizes us to do our mission? 32 USC Section 112 legally authorizes the National Guard to provide military unique skills and equipment towards counterdrug law enforcement activities. There exists a strict legal and regulatory structure to ensure citizen's right to privacy and due process rights are not violated during National Guard support activities. National Guardsman providing LEA support are doing so in a support role only and do not have any direct contact or keep any information about suspects during missions.
How We Support the Community
Despite recent rounds of federal budget cuts that have affected our organization along with most other federally funded programs, the NCNG CDP continues to provide persistent and deliberate support to law enforcement agencies at all levels. The National Guard’s Military Readiness presents a supply of talented Soldiers and Airmen with skills that can be used to support Law Enforcement. Our personnel are experts in long-range observation, intelligence preparation, and aviation. We provide support to Police and County Sheriff’s Departments as well as large agencies like the DEA and SBI. Regardless of the size of the agency and mission, our goal is to support those who protect the peace and tranquility of our communities.
Drug Demand Reduction and Outreach
Prevention is a key tenant in reducing the widespread abuse of illicit substances throughout our state and the NC National Guard Counterdrug Program (NCNG-CDP) has been involved in prevention strategies since the early 2000s. What began as Drug Demand Reduction (DDR), a program that emphasized education and training in drug abuse prevention curriculum for youth, has since evolved into a multi-faceted process that focuses on partnerships and engagements, process implementation, and planning and support within community based organizations (CBOs).
Our DDRO team accomplishes this by utilizing our unique military skills in conjunction with SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and specialized training in coalition development through CADCA.
Investigative Case Analysis
On the battlefield, successful mission intelligence can be the difference between a celebrated victory and an agonizing defeat. In the struggle against illegal narcotics, those wartime skills our Soldiers posses are put towards dissecting criminal activity and intent and providing Law Enforcement Officers with an enhanced ability to anticipate a criminal enterprises’ next move.
Ground Reconnaissance
Our ground observation team has decades of experience, both in overseas combat theaters and providing support here at home. With the ability to persistently observe a target for long periods of time, our ground reconnaissance Soldiers are able to record and report on critical events – what the criminal is doing when he thinks nobody is watching. Our ground reconnaissance team can deploy in urban and rural environments through a variety of mission sets. They can assist in directly observing criminal activity, establishing probable cause, or providing last minute intelligence before the execution of a search warrant.
Aviation Reconnaissance
As most law enforcement entities cannot afford their own aviation programs, aviation reconnaissance and observation support by the CDP is a highly unique service that can pay big dividends for local agencies. CDP pilots utilize the UH-72 Lakota, an observation and utility helicopter equipped with advanced thermal infrared sensors, long-range high resolution visual cameras, video downlink and high intensity searchlights.
Law Enforcement Support Mission Request Form
Prior to filling out the mission request form, we encourage you to call our offices to discuss the nature of your mission and the type of support you may require. Please call our main switchboard at 984-664-8505 and select the option for Operations to discuss your mission.
Instructions For Completing the Form:
- Complete by filling out all promoted sections of the template below to include adding your agency/coalition logo.
- If you have a Common Access Card, PIV card, or other smart card with digital signature capability, you may digitally sign in block 18 and then hit the "Submit" radial button. Otherwise, you may print the form out, sign it and send it in digitally to ncng-cdp-ops@army.mil
Documents
** NOTE: Support form must be downloaded and opened in Adobe Reader and enable all features. The submit button will not work if you open within your internet browser. **