STEPPING UP DRUG ENFORCEMENT

In Paulo Ceolho's "The Alchemist," a young man learns a secret never
realized beyond the realm of fantasy: How to turn lead into gold.

While alchemy in real life failed, humankind has mastered the
creation of another substance, as intoxicating, as valuable and more
plentiful.

Narcotics.

"It really is like gold dust, and injecting it or snorting it," said
Austin Police Detective David McKichan, chief drug investigator for
the department.

"You're working with something that on a weight-to-weight basis is
more valuable than gold," he said.

Finding and arresting users and dealers of drugs is McKichan's
trade, and the fruits of his success, created often in concert with
county, regional and state partners, have been prolific.

There are the statistics, which show 29 more drug-related arrests
from 2006 to 2007, as boasted by Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp Monday.

Other numbers speak more: 31 pounds of cocaine, 84 pounds of
marijuana, 451 hits of ecstasy and 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine
seized last year. Two to three major drug busts resulted in six
federal indictments.

And dissimilar crimes, such as thefts, burglaries, rapes, assaults
and vandalism, are down, a phenomenon the chief and detective both
attribute to increased drug arrests.

"I know for a fact that it does reduce the incidents in other
crimes," Philipp said.

The reason: Something so treasured and craved, particularly as
addicts are concerned, may lead to violence, theft, forgeries and
burglaries in pursuit.

In addition, sound judgment often fails when one is under the influence.

"Anytime someone's mind is altered by drugs and alcohol, they tend
to do things they normally wouldn't do," McKichan said.

And finally, there's the personal and family tragedy, lost
employment and illness that can result from addiction and dealing.

"It destroys the family, and then there's the addict's parents, the
kids and the spouses," said Austin Mayor Tom Stiehm, a retired
Austin Police Department narcotics investigator of 18 years.

"It's frustrating," Stiehm said. "The police are never going to put
an end to drug use. It's a cultural thing."

And knowing that means simply chipping away at access. With limited
resources and staff, McKichan and his county cohort, Detective Glen
Farnum, utilize various strategies and partnerships to find and snag
perpetrators, people usually "as motivated and as intelligent."

"Narcotics work is truly a hard, frustrating and difficult
business," Philipp said. "And really in our area, where the rubber
meets the road, it's about dealing with the little guys alot."

Ninety percent of McKichan's work is focused on the small-time
dealer, the people that he said most affect Austin's schools,
families and neighborhoods.

The backbone of those investigations is patrolmen, who, through the
course of their daily routine, provide tips. Then may come the
search warrants and possibly an arrest, which, in turn, may lead to
a confidential contact that is willing to realign his loyalties.

"Once they do get that arrest, then it's our time to try to get that
person to work with us," Philipp said.

The work is painstaking -- building contacts, writing reports,
observing habits -- with the intent of building a case that can't be
dimissed due to legal technicalities.

"What we ultimately try to do is gather facts, and do so in a way
that they are presentable in a court room," he said.

A single drug deal won't do it in most cases, according to Philipp.
The rule of thumb is three, which establishes that a business of
sorts is occurring.

"It's complicated," McKichan said. "There's just a lot of ways to
deal with someone selling narcotics."

And with the unpredictable likely, including violent behavior, a
chase and weapons, McKichan said safety is paramount.

"We try to minimize risk, and do things that will make things
preventable," he said.

The detective said most of his big cases this past year resulted for
inter-agency cooperation with entities, including the Southeast
Minnesota Drug Task Force, Rochester Police Department, the Bureau
of Criminal Apprehension and Drug Enforcement Administration.

"The reason we have been so successful - I don't think it has
anything to do with the work I'm doing," McKichan said. "It's been
the work that all the other agencies have done."

Such as last August, when county and regional agencies executed a
series of search warrants at three homes and downtown business that
led to arrests of five men, whom were ultimately convicted in U.S.
District Court for dealing cocaine.

And December, when a 22-year-old, his girlfriend and three others
were charged with drug sales, in what was the biggest drug find in
Austin after partnering agencies found 24 pounds of cocaine in a
unit at Mandolin Apartments in Austin after a year of investigations.

"As interesting as those cases are, hopefully when you take the
bigger guy down, all the little guys dry up," he said.

The convictions that may follow are designed to affect different
defendants in different ways. First-time offenders are given a
second changes in a majority of cases, in hopes that their arrest
and trouble will serve as a wake-up call.

"There are certainly people who should be taken out of society,"
McKichan said. "But it's also not good to have a revolving door, and
not try to change the people who are using."

Again, all with the intention of making Austin a better place to live.

"This is making our area a more attractive place, a place where you
want to get married and want to have kids," he said.