HPD WILL STAY IN DRUG TASK FORCE

The Hattiesburg Police Department will remain a member of the Forrest-Perry
County Metro Narcotics Task Force. Metro board members and other elected
officials met about 15 minutes Tuesday. Afterward Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny
DuPree announced the board had reached an agreement in which the
Hattiesburg Police Department will add three members to its Neighborhood
Enhancement Team and the division of seized assets will essentially remain
the same.

The only difference in funding is that in seizures greater than $50,000,
the arresting agency will get 80 percent of the assets.

"We would never let some disagreement or misunderstanding about money get
in our way," said DuPree, who the group chose as spokesman. "The asset
forfeiture, the formula that was agreed upon by our Metro board, will
remain the same."

Metro board members voted Thursday to draw up a new inter-agency agreement
excluding the Hattiesburg Police Department. The vote was taken after
Hattiesburg Police Chief David Wynn announced plans to begin a new
narcotics unit in his department.

Metro rules call for all seizures to be split three ways, with 10 percent
going to the District Attorney's office, 45 percent to Metro and 45 percent
to the assisting agency.

Wynn wanted the Hattiesburg unit to split seizures 80-20.

Hattiesburg City Council members called a meeting Friday and asked DuPree
to stop any formation of a Hattiesburg narcotics unit until the
disagreement with Metro was resolved.

Councilwoman Betsy Rowell said she was waiting to hear from DuPree about
the agreement. When told the details, she said it was a step in the right
direction.

"It sounds like Metro is staying in place and they are beefing up the NET
team and that sounds good to me," Rowell said.

Metro is comprised of six agents, two each from the Hattiesburg department
and the Forrest County Sheriff's Department and one agent each from the
Petal Police department and the Perry County Sheriff's Department.

DuPree said the Hattiesburg department will add three officers to the
Neighborhood Enhancement Team, and the Metro unit will add an assistant for
paperwork so agents can spend more time working drug cases.

In previous interviews with the Hattiesburg American, Wynn said he wanted
another narcotics unit to help with a growing drug problem in Hattiesburg.

Wynn would not comment after Tuesday's meeting.

Forrest County Sheriff Billy McGee said last week Metro board members
believed two narcotics units would create competition for drug seizure
money and a lack of communication with area law enforcement.

"I'm sort of satisfied" McGee said Tuesday. He would not comment further.