Over the past six months, there have been more than 500 drug-related crimes in Muscle Shoals. Colbert County Sheriff Eric Valentin has an unconventional idea to tackle the problem at its source: encouraging dealers to cut each other out of the drug business.

The sheriff's office hung a banner at the intersection of Highways 72 and 43, urging drug dealers to call the sheriff's office to report their competitors. See for yourself.

“We're going to utilize all of our resources,” Sheriff Valentin told WAFF 48. “We see this as just another resource to gather intelligence to find the people who are selling drugs.”

“I know for a fact that drug dealing is a very competitive business, so my idea is to think outside the box and say, if you have a competitor who's selling drugs, give us a call and we'll eliminate them and come to you,” he said.

Colbert County has seen 114 drug incidents so far, and the sheriff's office says deputies are dispatched to fentanyl overdoses at least once a week, and sometimes more.

Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation: Listen to him weekdays from 6am to 9am. WNSP-FM 105.5's “Opening Kickoff” Available online for free.