DRUG WAR WAGED IN STREETS

Cop Killing A Risk Officers Face Daily, Says Federal Prosecutor

A local federal prosecutor says the alleged drug deal leading to
Const. John Atkinson's slaying plays out almost on a daily basis in
the streets of Windsor.

"Drug squad officers in Windsor are making arrests every day in
similar circumstances," said lawyer Richard Pollock.

And when it comes to drug trafficking in Windsor, guns play a big
role, local authorities warn, echoing what federal Justice Minister
Vic Toews told The Star Monday when he described guns as "the tool of
the trade" for drug dealers.

"I wonder if the average person understands the causal linkage
between drugs and guns -- the causal link is obvious," Pollock said.

Police allege the two young men charged with first-degree murder in
the shooting death Friday of Atkinson were crack dealers interrupted
and then confronted by the plainclothes officer.

Both suspects were allegedly in possession of crack cocaine when they
were apprehended about half an hour after Atkinson fell, mortally
wounded, near an east-end convenience store.

"I can tell you a very large percentage of crimes (in Windsor) are
connected to drugs," said Windsor police spokesman Staff Sgt. Ed McNorton.

"Illegal drugs and violence go hand-in-hand," he added.

While drugs and guns are a common mix in Windsor streets, police are
becoming increasingly concerned by the escalating level of violence
by those involved in the illegal narcotics trade.

Crack cocaine, in particular, draws unsavoury and unpredictable
elements because it is highly addictive and expensive. The crack
market is lucrative to the dealers, who are willing "to do anything
to protect their share of it," said McNorton, and it drags its
desperate addicts into crime as a means to pay for their next fix.

The majority of Windsor crimes --everything from petty theft to
murder -- can be linked in some way to illegal drug use, authorities say.

And the dealers can be desperate and bold, targeting schools and even
the places where junkies flee to seek help.

Drug dealers are known to hang out at the entrance to the Salvation
Army's downtown drug rehabilitation centre, according to those who go
there to seek treatment.

"I'd be foolish to say we don't have those people outside our doors,"
said Sally Ann executive director Major Clyde Guy. "Drugs are so
prevalent these days you can get them anywhere," he said.

"There's a lot of boldness when people are trafficking. Crack is your
biggest drug -- because of the cost, that's where you have the
crime," said Doris Stillman, the agency's supervisor of addiction programs.

When word gets out that dealers are plying their trade outside, Guy
and Stillman say Windsor police are good at responding.

But the problem of illegal drugs is as pervasive in Windsor as elsewhere.

"What does a dealer look like? It could be your neighbour," said Stillman.