MAKING HOPE: SENTENCES AND RAIDS INVITE OPTIMISM IN ROBESON

If law enforcement officials are trying to leave the impression that
a new day has dawned in Robeson County, they've made a convincing
start. Six years after Operation Tarnished Badge was launched, the
federal prosecutor in the case appears to have run out of defendants.
Twenty-two guilty pleas affecting almost 25 percent of the Sheriff's
Department were entered, including that of Glenn Maynor, a former
sheriff. Most defendants have been given long sentences, and the
trial judge made it clear that Maynor could expect to have at least
70 percent of the book thrown at him: seven years -- provided no more
dirt came to light before final sentencing.

The corruption within the department, said U.S. District Judge
Terrence Boyle, "happened systematically, over decades." It was
diverse, uninhibited and wide-ranging. One enterprising duo became so
proficient at shaking down drug suspects on Interstate 95 that they
formed a company and taught drug agents from other jurisdictions the
finer points of making stops -- pocketing, in one case, 10 percent of
the money seized while showing off their expertise in South Carolina.

One of the two, who called this serial lawbreaking a "mistake,"
probably didn't help himself any by showing up for sentencing wearing
a gold necklace and money clip.

The corruption -- shakedowns, kidnapping, arson, thuggery, fraud --
was so in-your-face blatant that much of the county, both public and
private, is bound to have known about some of it. But what do you say
to a hood with a badge and a gun, especially if you fear there are
many more like him roaming your community?

The federal intervention left local law enforcement a lot to overcome
in terms of credibility. But if last weekend's federal/local raids in
and around Red Springs and Parkton are any gauge (Cumberland County
also saw some action), the challenge is being taken up here and
there. "The Compound," reputed to have been for two decades a center
for dealing in drugs, guns and stolen property, was the big prize of
the day. The question of how it thrived with such a reputation for so
long is not easily dismissed. The most reassuring answer might be
further cleanups along the lines of the one in which the Red Springs
Police Department, the Fayetteville Police Department and the Hoke
and Robeson sheriff's offices participated on May 30. In the
meantime, Robeson residents can dare to hope that their county
belongs to them again. Good show.