NO RUSH AT CNT

The selection of a new drug squad commander must be the consequence
of careful thought, so the applicant with the best credentials is
chosen.

IT'S GOOD that Chatham County administrators have backed away from
their plan to name a new commander for the countywide drug squad by
the end of this year.

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team plays a critical role in
area law enforcement. County officials owe it to the public to do due
diligence in picking a new CNT leader. There's no huge rush to fill
the position, as the agency will be in capable hands with its
interim leader, Capt. Paul McBurney, who was named last week.

The CNT is a governmental hybrid. It's funded by Chatham County and
functions an arm of county government under the direct responsibility
of County Manager Russ Abolt. A Drug Advisory Board offers guidance
about how the CNT should operate. Its menbers include the chiefs of
police of all the municipal police departments in the county,
District Attorney Spencer Lawton Jr., and Sheriff Al St. Lawrence.

But the board does not hire (or fire) the commander. That's Mr.
Abolt's job.

And to his credit, he asked for some help.

Mr. Abolt has directed the Drug Advisory Board - now chaired by new
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Chief Michael Berkow - to
interview qualified candidates and come up with a list of finalists.
Then Mr. Abolt, along with County Human Resources Director Michael
Kaigler, Chief Berkow and former CNT commander Tom Sprague, would
examine the top picks - with the county manager having the final say.

This position will be officially vacant on Dec. 29 with the
retirement of Commander Eddie Williams. Several weeks ago, Mr. Abolt
said he hoped to have a successor hired by the time the outgoing
commander is gone. But last week, that hurry-up schedule changed.

And for the better.

The latest plan scraps the Dec. 29 hiring deadline; it's now
open-ended as to when a commander would be named.

The Drug Advisory Board last Tuesday looked at the 14 applications it
has received, including two submitted by the board's own members -
Thunderbolt Police Chief Irene Pennington and Gerald Cisco, head of
the local Drug Enforcement Administration office. Both applicants
are prohibited from participating in the selection process, which
would be a clear conflict of interest. Still, the question for the
remaining board members is whether they can objectively weigh all the
applications and not be swayed by having two of their own in the
hunt for the top slot.

The county, meanwhile, will continue to accept applications for CNT
leader until Jan. 1. That means it will be sometime in the new year
when the county manager makes his pick, after conferring with his
"kitchen cabinet" of advisers.

Creating the CNT in 1994 was one of the smartest things that local
governments ever did. The specialized agency replaced the former
Metro Drug Squad, which was part of the former Chatham County Police
Department and wasn't getting the job done when it came to combating
drug-related crimes.

The beauty of the CNT is that it forced local police departments,
which often jealously guarded their home turfs, to work together to
solve a common problem. Since the county paid 100 percent of the
salaries and benefits of all the officers assigned to CNT, the
agency was a sweet financial deal for municipal governments.

More recently, however, serious questions have been raised about
CNT's management. Meanwhile, the 2003 merger of the Savannah Police
Department and Chatham County Police Department into a single,
countywide force that is responsible for the city and
unincoroporated area changed the landscape of local law enforcement -
and for the better.

But drugs remain the common denominator of most violent crimes in the
community. And since drug use doesn't recognize municipal boundaries,
the drug fight must we waged on a countywide level.

That's why effective, trusted leadership of the CNT is vital.
Choosing someone to lead this unit must not be a rush job, mostly to
keep the seat warm after the current commander leaves. The selection
must be the consequence of careful thought, so the applicant with
the best credentials is chosen.

One encouraging sign is that Chief Berkow now heads the Drug Advisory
Board.

He said last week that the board is looking for someone with proven
leadership and managerial ability, a demonstrated track record of
integrity and a solid background in investigations and narcotics
work. Each point is on target.

Here's one more item for the list: political blindness.

The commander must use the CNT to work drug cases in all areas of
Chatham County. This will help maintain the trust among local police
departments that is necessary for a countywide drug squad to be effective.

With Chief Berkow on board as metro police chief, local law
enforcement is evolving. Change is in the works.

Just last week, for example, the new chief disbanded the department's
Expanded Patrol Operations and shifted those officers back to their
precincts, which should improve community-oriented policing and crime
reduction.

The CNT must be part of that evolution. That's why naming the next
CNT commander is a critical pick - and, why county officials should
take the time so the right person gets the job.