DA KATHLEEN RICE'S 'DRUG DEAL' WORTH A TRY

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a rather famous New Yorker, once said,
"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit
it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." That's
good advice in the war on drugs. And it's why the bold,
second-chance initiative for suspected drug dealers that
Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice recently launched
in Hempstead Village is worth a try.

Yes, it's controversial. Any time you give people caught
dead-to-rights dealing drugs a chance to stay out of prison, some
people are going to complain. Loudly. But Rice's initiative also
offers law-abiding residents in the area of Terrace Avenue and
Bedell Street reason to believe that they don't have to continue
living with drugs and crime. That's more important than the fate of
any one drug dealer.

The area is the most notorious open-air drug market in Nassau
County. The trade has flourished there for decades and the rote law
enforcement drill - arrest, prosecute, convict and imprison - hasn't
done much to improve the situation. Hundreds of people were arrested
in the area for drug offenses over a recent five-year span, and the
marketplace is still open for business.

It's time to frankly admit that the traditional approach hasn't
worked. It's just common sense to try something different.

The initiative chosen by neighborhood residents, Rice and village
police, offers a deal to people who are caught selling drugs - if
they have no history of violent offenses. First they're invited to a
meeting where they're confronted with video evidence of their drug
dealing. More important, they're confronted by area residents who
want them to abandon the criminal life.

The offer? Quit dealing. Stay out of trouble. Take advantage of the
county's network of social services for things such as drug
treatment, education, housing and job training. Change your life.
Those who accept the deal avoid prosecution. Those who refuse to try
and those who commit another crime go to prison.

So far Rice has offered that one-time deal to 17 suspects. Will it
work? A city in North Carolina where it's been tried reports
promising results. And if it doesn't work here? Try something else.