OTTAWA COUNTY -- Questions are swirling around a multi-agency drug unit that's taking heat after a Grand Valley State University student was shot by one of its members during a drug raid this week in an off-campus apartment.

BY THE NUMBERS

Here are recent statistics for WEMET, which operates in Allegan, Ottawa and Muskegon counties.

2006

Investigations: 629

Arrests: 447 arrests

Street value of seized drugs: $2.5 million

Forfeitures: Not available

2007

Investigations: 675

Arrests: 454

Seized drugs: $6.5 million

Forfeitures: Not available

2008

Investigations: 803

Arrests: 544

Seized drugs: Not available

Forfeitures: $315,666

So far, investigators have released little information about the circumstances surrounding Wednesday night's shooting that injured an unarmed Derek Copp, 20. The officer who fired the shot, an Ottawa County sheriff's deputy, has not been identified.

But the West Michigan Enforcement Team has been making a name for itself for years, and since 2006 has seized more than $9 million worth of drugs off the streets, records show.

The team has about 25 officers, most of them undercover, drawn from a handful of West Michigan police agencies. They all work under the supervision of the Michigan State Police.

For those who pursue a spot on WEMET, it's not typical police work. Authorities describe it as an intense job with no set hours.

"They're always working, getting called out in the middle of the night," said Allegan County sheriff's Lt. Scott Matice on Friday. His department has two deputies assigned to the team.

By combining the efforts of several departments, WEMET opens up access to state resources and provides added manpower for cases that demand many hands. Members typically serve at least two years on WEMET, and come away with heightened investigative skills that the officer can then use when they return to street work for their departments, or take back to their detective bureau.

"What I like to see, when our guys come out of there, they know the players dealing with drugs -- they're usually doing other property crimes," Matice said.

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Department currently has five deputies and one sergeant assigned to the team. Others agencies involved are police in Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights and Norton Shores and the Muskegon County Sheriff's Department.

Matice said WEMET often shares information with police agencies, and works with neighboring drug teams, like those in the Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas.

"They get (suspects) who travel all over the place," he said.

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E-mail John Agar: jagar@grpress.com