DRUG ENFORCERS GET MORE FIREPOWER TO BATTLE BAD GUYS

Nassau County law enforcement officials are getting more ammunition for
their drug enforcement task force to even up the gun-power odds against drug
dealers.

The state will be putting $94,730 into Nassau County's multi-jurisdictional
Drug Eradication and Enforcement Task Force . In return, the task force,
which includes representatives from the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, the
Fernandina Beach Police Department and the State Attorney's Office, is
pledging to come down harder on drug dealers, manufacturers and users.

Program goals include arresting 20 drug offenders, seizing 100 grams of
cocaine, seizing one pound of marijuana, conducting 30
marijuana-manufacturing investigations, making five marijuana-manufacturing
arrests and destroying 250 marijuana plants.

Although the goals are high, law enforcement officials say they can deliver,
and the best part is it won't cost taxpayers any money. The Nassau County
Sheriff's Office is using confiscated drug funds to put up the grant's
required $31,576 match.

Since its start three years ago, officials say, the multi-jurisdictional
task force has made an impact.

"We've put a major dent in most of the street crimes," said Lt. Jim Coe, the
drug task force supervisor for the Fernandina Beach Police. "We are
definitely putting pressure on the first tier of drug dealers. What we need
to do is work together to get to middle and main people."

Coe said the task force allows city and county police to share resources and
intelligence.

"This grant is tantamount to continuing our fight against narcotics," he
said. "We need to work together. Our department doesn't have the resources
that the Nassau County Sheriff's Office has and they don't have the manpower
to cover such a large territory."

Because most of Nassau County is rural with the exception of the Amelia
Island and Fernandina Beach area, it's an ideal location for marijuana
manufacture and distribution. The county's status as a major seaport and its
close proximity to several major roadways makes it vulnerable to drug
trafficking.

Maj. Mike Hurst, a task force representative from the sheriff's department,
said crack cocaine continues to be the county's biggest problem.

"Crack use and dealing is the basis for a lot of the crimes in this county,"
he said. "We have problems in Hilliard, Callahan, O'Neal, Yulee and downtown
Fernandina Beach."

By working together, Hurst said narcotics enforcement officers and state
court officials can maximize enforcement, detection and investigative
techniques.

Grant money will also fund upgrades such as the purchase of two lap top
computers and six .40-caliber submachine guns. Hurst said the department
needed to upgrade its submachine guns so that the ammunition would be
interchangeable with their automatic handguns.

Although Nassau County officers have never fired a gun during a drug bust,
Hurst said drug-interdiction officers need to be properly armed.

"The drug dealer is always a little better armed and equipped. This is a way
of life for him. It's how he survives and he won't let you stand in the
way," Hurst said.

The grant also will supply clothing for undercover officers, office
supplies, batteries and ammunition and pay for maintenance on several
four-wheel drive vehicles and for surveillance operations that use aircraft.