CROWN POINT | A federal agency coordinating a $3 million a year war on Lake County's illicit drug traffic will remain headquartered in this city.

Charles Porucznik, executive director for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, said Thursday the law enforcement agency will move from its current space in the Lake County Government Center campus here to offices near 109th and Broadway.

He said HIDTA will award a contract to the Crown Point city clerk's employees to keep its fiscal books, a duty previously performed by the town of Schererville.

"We had an executive board meeting today and the decision was made to move in a new direction," Porucznik said.

Crown Point Mayor David Uran said Thursday, "We're very excited they'll be located in the community. It's a positive to bring in more public safety in our own backyard."

Schererville Town Councilman Jerry Tippy said the fiduciary switch from Schererville to Crown Point doesn't bother him because the federal revenue they received for the work wasn't lucrative enough. "I believe our employees should spend their time working for the town of Schererville."

HIDTA was formed more than a decade ago to tamp down the violence between street gang battles for dominance in the city's lucrative drug trade that generated 130 homicides in 1995. They set up headquarters in Westwind Manor, a former county-owned nursing home.

HIDTA agents recruited local police officers and together they seized large quantities of illicit drugs, closed open air drug markets and helped imprison scores of drug dealers. Homicides in Gary dropped significantly.

HIDTA's relationship with county government soured last year and county officials discussed charging the task force rent for its use of space. HIDTA was considering a move to Merrillville earlier this year.

Times Staff Writers Vanessa Renderman and Kathleen Quilligan contributed to this story.