CITY BECOMES FRONT FOR WAR ON DRUGS

Springfield Is One Of Five Cities Chosen To Be The Focus Of A New DEA Attack.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration announced Friday that
Springfield was selected for a program to reduce the demand for illegal drugs.

Springfield - one of five cities in the nation that was chosen - will host
the new Integrated Drug Enforcement Assistance program, a fourfold
operation designed to:

* Build a community coalition.

* Identify the local drug problems.

* Find solutions and develop a master plan to combat those problems.

* Launch a long-term community action plan.

"We simply can't arrest our way out of the drug problem," said IDEA
coordinator Pam Brown, a DEA special agent in Washington, D.C. "We want to
work with the community to change the culture and introduce and implement
some programs that have long-lasting impact."

To do that, the DEA will send a special agent to Springfield to work with
civic leaders, law enforcement agencies, schools and faith-based organizations.

Maj. Steve Ijames, who oversees the Springfield Police Department's drug
division, said it won't take long to discover which drug causes the most
problems in Springfield.

"Everything that is drug-focused in southwest Missouri continues to be meth
related," Ijames said, adding that any extra help from the DEA to reduce
the demand for the drug is greatly appreciated.

Last year Missouri busted more meth labs than any other state, according to
figures released by the Missouri Highway Patrol. The state seized 1,599
labs in 2001, inching past California - which tallied 1,472 - for the first
time.

Agents kicked off IDEA in January in Allentown, Pa.; North Charleston,
S.C.; and Portsmouth, Va., Springfield and Prichard, Ala., were added this
week.

"It's very new," said Linell Broecker, the DEA's senior preventive programs
manager. "It's working because communities have identified things they want
to do and are working to meet those objectives."

Those initiatives resulted in the development of several programs to reduce
drug demand, including an after-school program for middle school children,
mentor programs and an anti-drug media campaign.

Brown said once a coalition is established in Springfield, a two-day drug
summit will be held to outline a strategic plan.

She said Springfield was chosen for the program because it "had all the
ingredients," Brown said, citing pledged community support, a legitimate
enforcement need and Congressional support.

U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt said the program wouldn't be the ultimate solution to
the city's drug problems - but it could help.

"The city had local commitment, volunteer support ... I think it'd be very
helpful," Blunt said. "... We have a (drug) problem, though I don't think
it's a problem out of proportion with other cities the size of Springfield."