VALLEY POLICE CHIEFS TO OVERSEE DRUG WAR

Valley law enforcement leaders have moved to bolster their war against
drugs by forming an executive board of police chiefs to oversee drug task
forces.

"The Phoenix metro area needs help," said Errol Chavez, special agent in
charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration here, after a recent meeting
with some of Maricopa County's top peace officers. "There are different
problems here than we see at the border."

Chavez said federal funds and programs have focused the attack on major
cartels and high-level smuggling operations. But Phoenix continues to grow
as a marketplace, attracting violent crime along with the methamphetamines,
cocaine, marijuana and other drugs.

Chavez said top Valley law officers could build a more efficient campaign
against drug venders, who don't care about city limits, by sharing manpower
and resources.

"We have a local problem: the neighborhood dealers and the cell managers,"
he said. "We're going back to basics. . . . I'm going to open the door to
all the intelligence we have."

Law enforcement has a long-term legacy of failure in eliminating
grass-roots drug sellers. However, Chavez said, the DEA has learned to
succeed by working with other agencies and by targeting sales operations
from the bottom up.

Chavez said he is importing a system that succeeded in San Diego County,
where he served as DEA chief until his transfer to Arizona last year. He
said the Valley already has 40 drug task-force members working on four
teams, but he expects to beef up those operations with more officers, money
and training.