GIVE POLICE THE RESOURCES

An Effective Recent Crackdown On Drugs By Metro Police Is A Reminder Of Two
Important Principles.

One is that pooling available resources and emphasizing cooperation between
divisions on the force can produce meaningful results. The other is that
police need adequate resources to do their jobs.

When police saw a spate of shootings erupt in the heat of the summer,
acting Chief Deborah Faulkner formed a departmental task force with people
from several divisions. The idea was to put out a full-force blitz on
street-level drug deals and stamp out the violence that often comes with
them. Since Faulkner launched that task force, most of the shootings
stopped. As of early this week, it had been more than a month since the
city has had a drug-related killing.

The arrests, gun seizures and confiscation of cocaine and marijuana proved
that the creation of a very visible presence is a deterrent to drug
dealers. Metro's own undercover police officers reported difficulty finding
drug deals. They heard bad guys talking about how effective the crackdown
had been. Dealers were complaining, "Man, it's too hot. Vice is out here."

That's the good part. But as successful as the crackdown became, it also
came with the reality that a concentration of police on one front often
creates a weakness elsewhere. It takes away from other areas of
enforcement, such as burglary and theft.

The smart convergence of personnel and strategy paid off. But such good
police work comes at a price. The city should consider such conditions when
faced with decisions on providing law enforcement with the resources it
needs. Taxpayers often want proof that if they provide resources - whether
it be officers, cop cars or computers - that there will be positive
results. Recent events suggest there will be positive results. The
resources to make that happen are essential.