18th DA investigator honored by anti drug-trafficking group

An investigator with the District Attorney’s Office of the 18th Judicial District has been named 2017 Instructor of the Year by the Rocky Mountain High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

Joe Ryan Hartley received the award at the December meeting of the HIDTA executive board in Denver.

Hartley was recognized for his efforts in teaching effective drug enforcement techniques in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain region and the country.

“I am always proud when members of our team share their skills and expertise with our law enforcement partners. Our community gets far more bang for its buck from top-shelf employees like Joe Ryan,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “This honor highlights the great people we have in our office. HIDTA has reported 228 fatal heroin overdoses in Colorado for 2016 – anything we can do to keep illegal drugs off the streets makes our communities safer.”

Hartley has been a DA investigator since November 2015. Prior to that, he was a detective with the Parker Police Department.

The HIDTAs operate under the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The Rocky Mountain HIDTA was established in 1996 and includes parts of Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. Its mission is to “facilitate cooperation and coordination among federal, state and local drug enforcement efforts to enhance combating the drug trafficking problem.”

The Rocky Mountain HIDTA executive board consists of 23 members (10 federal, 13 state/local) and works with 129 agencies.