CITY OPENS 24-HOUR HOT LINE TO FIGHT DRUGS

Expect immediate response from Jackson police, mayor says

Drug hot line

The 24-hour hot line for residents to report suspicious drug activity is
960-0025.

Callers may remain anonymous and should include details about the suspected
location and activities witnessed. An officer will respond to the call.

Jackson residents will have a hot line to report illicit drug activity near
their homes and businesses, officials announced Tuesday.

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said by using a 24-hour drug hot line,
residents can expect to see an immediate response from Jackson police. The
hot line at 960-0025 begins today.

Callers will remain anonymous, Johnson said. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays,
the police department's narcotics unit will respond to callers' tips. On
evenings and weekends, drug activity complaints will be investigated by beat
officers.

"We're trying to make sure we make a serious dent in the drug activity in
this city," Johnson said. "We're trying to increase confidence by the public
in the police department's responsibility to respond to their needs."

Police Chief Robert Moore often appeals to residents for tips.

In September 2003, the department placed a box at Metrocenter Mall for
anonymous tips.

Acting Deputy Chief Lee Vance said that effort stopped for lack of interest.
He did not know when the box was removed.

The hot line should be more successful, Vance said.

Some residents complain they do not get immediate feedback when reporting
suspicious activity, Moore said. That causes them to call police less and
less, he said.

Fear of retaliation keeps many residents from reporting crimes, said
Ernestine Rice, vice president of the Lynch Street Subdivision No. 1
Neighborhood Association.

"I believe they will call if they feel safer," Rice said.

Police will monitor reports from the hot line to find any patterns, Moore
said.

Callers will need to give information about the location of the activity
such as a house address or intersection, Moore said. Any description of the
people involved will also aid officers.

Police will respond to the locations reported and will not contact the
caller at that time to ensure anonymity, Moore said.

Police will "stop and knock," or contact the person in the suspected drug
house and watch for any suspicious behavior, he said.

But, he warned, an officer must see evidence of a crime before police can
make arrests.