DRUG DEALERS MAY GET TIME ON CITY SHOW

Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - It could be the next hit show on Denver's
must-see-television: Drug Dealer TV.

Even as the city studies the success of the three-week-old "Johns TV,"
which airs mug shots of men convicted of soliciting prostitutes, residents
are asking Mayor Wellington Webb to televise photos of other criminals .

Webb is considering whether to air pictures of drug dealers on the city's
cable Channel 8, now the home of "Johns TV."

"Their 15 minutes of fame is not necessarily good fame," said Webb's
spokesman, Andrew Hudson.

"Johns TV" debuted in Denver last month with much fanfare. A parade of
johns airs Tuesdays through Sundays at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., and Mondays at 8
a.m. and 6 p.m., and has included a wide range of men, including a
70-year-old man with glasses and a black eye. The mug shots are the most
popular feature on the city's website, increasing traffic by up to 50 percent.

City and police officials say it's too early to tell exactly how well the
program has worked. But many residents say they want the show expanded to
include drug dealers, according to Hudson.

Webb likes the idea as a way to help put a dent in crime.

Colorado ranks first in the nation in marijuana use, and drug use in Denver
alone costs the city, residents and businesses $1.5 billion each year,
according to a recent city study.

"The prospect of a quick buck may be tempered by the prospect of having
your picture broadcast so that your parents, your neighbors and your
co-workers see you on TV," Webb said in a statement.

Webb's staff is researching the success of other cities that publicize
pictures of criminals.

Orlando police have a web page called "Busted," which shows drug dealers,
johns, prostitutes and others arrested for lewd acts in public. Orlando
police Sgt. Orlando Rolon said the program has helped authorities as the
city increased enforcement of "quality-of-life" offenses.

"It's a combination of this deterrent and the aggressive stance the city is
taking toward these crimes," Rolon said. "But it's just one part of the
puzzle to reducing crime."

Webb thinks the show could help curb the problem citywide, officials said.

"If you're arrested for dealing drugs, you'll show up on TV," Hudson said,
"whether you're in Cherry Creek or whether you're in LoDo."

But Denver officials want to make sure the show is not free advertising.

"We have to make sure we're not giving exposure to drug dealers in a way
that benefits them," Hudson said.

Orlando police say drug dealers there do not like the spotlight. Other
criminals stay away from publicly identified dealers, and "free
advertising" has not been an issue, Rolon said.