The City of Atmore received a $193,235 grant by Gov. Kay Ivey to help establish a new statewide drug task force that will operate with local and state law enforcement agencies, according to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The Alabama Drug Enforcement Task Force will operate alongside 25 narcotics agents from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency forming seven regional multijurisdictional offices. The City of Atmore, one of the new regional offices, will share resources with a goal of reducing the impact of drugs and dismantling drug organizations in Alabama. The other counties that Atmore covers as a regional office include Escambia, Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Mobile, Monroe and Washington.

“The illegal manufacturing, trafficking and sale of narcotics in Alabama is a problem for every part of the state and should be dealt with accordingly,” Ivey said in a release. “Through combined efforts and statewide cooperation, this new task force will allow local police, sheriff’s offices and district attorneys to work together with state police and investigators to remove more of this dangerous element from our communities.”

The grant funds, which total $1.3 million, will help provide overtime for officers, pay for travel and training for agents, operational expenses and needed equipment. The total task force will comprise more than 90 officers from more than 40 agencies.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Justice. ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, recreation, energy conservation, water resources management, job training and career development.

“I share Gov. Ivey’s commitment to combating the illegal drug trade in our state and am glad to lend ADECA’s support in establishing this new task force,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said. “I commend the participating law enforcement agencies for their commitment and hard work to make Alabama a safer place to live and work.”

The other six regional offices and the counties they cover are listed below:

City of Atmore: Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties.

Butler County Commission: Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.

Marengo County Commission: Bibb, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox counties.

Chambers County Commission: Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Russell and Tallapoosa counties.

Winston County Commission: Colbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marion, Walker and Winston counties.

City of Cullman: Blount, Cherokee, Cullman, Dekalb, Etowah, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and Morgan counties.

Randolph County Commission: Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega counties.