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The coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to law enforcement in 2020, Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks told members of the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Club on Thursday via Zoom.
“In 2020, we had more homicides here than in the previous 10 years. The number of fatal drug overdose deaths increased in 2020 as a result of the pandemic and the imposed lockdown by the governor,” Weeks said.
The influx of drugs has been a big part of the problem.
Weeks said the problem spiked after the end of mandatory sentencing in 2013.
“We have seen an influx of pure and cheap heroin and a dramatic increase in drug overdose deaths. In 2018, we saw a massive rise in methamphetamine that continues to plague our community,” Weeks said.