POLICE CHIEF VALIANTLY FIGHTS THE SCOURGE OF SHEETROCK

Dallas Police Chief Terrell Bolton deserves the thanks of all
Americans for his aggressive campaign to rid our community of the
scourge of Sheetrock ("Tests cast doubt on 24 drug cases," Jan. 6).

If we can keep just one child from abusing crushed Sheetrock, the
$200,000 paid to Dallas' most productive professional police
informant for hundreds of pounds of the stuff is a bargain. It's a
small price to pay for victory in the war against gypsum, which is
the same as the war against terrorism.

It is common knowledge that Hispanic-Americans abuse Sheetrock, so it
is hardly surprising that all 18 Sheetrock defendants had Hispanic
surnames. Holding them on $1 million bail pending the understandably
lengthy police laboratory testing is the community's best guarantee
that Sheetrock abuse does not spread to more affluent white
neighborhoods.

Currently, Sheetrock and gypsum possession and abuse are not crimes,
but a responsible Texas Legislature should close this loophole
immediately, so future Hispanic Sheetrock users will not escape
justice and can be sentenced to the decades of prison they deserve.
By making Sheetrock sale and possession mandatory-minimum felonies,
indigent and under-represented defendants will be pressured into
prompt guilty pleas, thus saving the state the cost of an expensive
and needless jury trial. The Legislature should also consider the
death penalty for those found to be in possession of more than 50
pounds of Sheetrock or gypsum.

We do not want to send the wrong message to our children by allowing
Sheetrock abuse to go unpunished.

ROBERT MERKIN

Northampton, Mass.