WASHINGTON PARISH JAIL HAS A REVOLVING DOOR

Perhaps it is time the parish replaces the revolving door on the jail
in Franklinton with a more solid structure.

If drug dealers know they will simply be bonded out on their own
recognizance within a few days or perhaps weeks of their arrest, why
even think about changing lifestyles? If they know the courts will
given them a sentence that amounts to a slap on the wrist, what's the
big deal? In October the Bogalusa Police Department concluded a several
month undercover surveillance operation that identified 68 people who
were dealing drugs in the city. The majority were selling cocaine, but
other illicit substances like marijuana and various pills were also
involved.A drug roundup commenced early one morning resulting in over
50 arrests.

Where are these arrested dealers now? Many are back on the streets,
probably once again involved in the drug trade.

Most were held only a short period of time. Some are wanted yet again
for failure to appear in court on the first charge.

Some have been caught dealing again.I think if I were a member of the
BPD, I would be frustrated, perhaps wondering why I bother to attempt
to enforce the laws. Just how much clout does an arrest have if the
criminal spends little time in lock up before being freed to act
again? Citizens go to the city council meeting and gripe because of the
ready availability of drugs on the streets.

Drug addicts nickname the city the Candy Store because cocaine and
other illicit drugs are so easy to purchase. I admit crime statistics
have dropped since the first drug raid which shut down Miami Mike's
operation a few years ago. Bogalusa may not still provide drugs to the
whole Mississippi coast, but the people who live here have no problem
obtaining illegal drugs.

A special narcotic task force still has its work cut out for it.
Bogalusa still needs a larger police force than most communities its
size. Law enforcement officers from the BPD, the Sheriff's Office and
the Washington Correctional Institute will tell you, part of the
problem is that the justice system in the parish has let them down.
Patrolmen and deputies make drug arrests.

WCI officers lend the aid of their trained narcotic canine
division.

Then the dealers bond out of jail using money from the drug trade and
return to the streets to resume business.

Those that are taken to court and convicted often don't serve
sufficient time for the threat to be a deterrent to future drug dealers.

Take a walk through the projects.

Ask the groups of teens hanging out on the street corners how they
plan to get out of the housing developments. If they are honest, most
will tell you that drug sales are their ticket out of the
neighborhood, their way to escape poverty.

Challenge those same kids to stay in school and study to be a police
officer and the majority will laugh in your face. Who wants to be a
cop? They don't have the power and the prestige; that honor goes to
the drug dealer with his fancy clothes, nice car and big bankroll.

No thanks, man. The life of a cop is not for these kids. They know law
enforcement officers work hard and have little to show for their
efforts. They don't need an education to deal drugs.

They need to know enough math to make sure they're not getting
duped.

They need to read well enough to know if the drug they're selling is
the real thing. They need to know how to shot a gun and defend
themselves in a fight. At least that is what these kids think.

For some reason they don't believe they will get hooked on the drugs
they're selling.

They don't think the police will be smart enough to catch them. They
don't think they'll do time for breaking the law. They don't think a
disgruntled drugee will shoot them. The drug trade in Bogalusa is
alive and well. Not because the cops aren't working their hardest.

They have installed video cameras on their vehicles that can help them
get a close-up view of a drug deal going down a couple of blocks away.
They can peer into dark corners with the camera, neutralizing shady
areas that are havens for illicit deals.

The drug trade in Bogalusa is alive and well. Not because the citizens
aren't fed up with drugs flowing like water in the city streets.

Citizens have joined with law enforcement in an effort to reclaim
their neighborhoods. They have marched through the city, shouting
their intent to take back the streets block by block. The drug trade
in Bogalusa is alive and well. Not because the schools aren't teaching
students the dangers of drugs.

The DARE program graduates scores of elementary students every year.
Health programs stress the dangers of drugs and encourage students to
"just say no." The drug trade in Bogalusa is alive and well because of
that revolving door on the parish jail. It's about time citizens
demand that door be dismantled and a good solid door with a sturdy
lock be installed.

It's time for the laws to be strictly enforced and the drug dealers to
know if they do the crime, they'll do the time.