DRUGS ARE SCOURGE, MUST BE FOUGHT

Regarding Cynthia Tucker's column on the war on drugs ("Fallen Atlanta
officer: War on drugs not worth cost in lives," April 11): Perhaps some
people would agree that the "war" on drugs is a lost cause. I cannot
believe, however, that those people have ever lived in a drug-infested
community, where young parents, fearful of being struck by frequent
gunfire, feel compelled to sleep on the floor each night while their
children sleep in a bathtub. The elderly become prisoners at home, fearful
of being robbed by crack addicts. Imagine them pleading with their local
police for help and being told that locking up low-level drug dealers is a
"failed strategy."

The Atlanta Police Department had embarked on a tireless and, yes,
dangerous campaign to rid Atlanta's communities of drug predators.
Conceding that the challenges were insurmountable and therefore not worth
the effort was simply not an option.

I strongly disagree that an "irrational law enforcement culture"
irresponsibly places officers in the line of fire. What I find irrational
is the delusion that a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise would be
rendered harmless if its primary product were legalized or ignored.

Police officers bear witness daily to the consequences of the drug trade.
We understand that the pursuit of safe communities will become a lost cause
only when the men and women in blue are convinced to surrender our streets
to lawlessness, while we quietly retreat to the safety of the precinct house.

C.B. JACKSON

Jackson is deputy police chief, criminal investigation division, of the
Atlanta Police Department.