WAR ON DRUGS CAUGHT IN SHERIFF'S WEB

Site To Provide Latest Statistics

Using a map of the human body, photographs, hard facts and the click of a
mouse, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office is giving residents a
Web-based peek at its war on drugs.

The Sheriff's Office plans to add a narcotics section to its Web site in
the next three to four weeks in an effort to inform the public about what
deputies are doing to crack down on drugs and to teach people -- especially
parents -- how to recognize narcotics when they see them.

"We think it's important that citizens of Jefferson Parish are informed
about narcotics trafficking in Jefferson Parish," said Col. John Thevenot,
commander of the narcotics division. "They can also get a gauge of how safe
it is in Jefferson Parish and (see) that the police department recognizes
that drugs are out there, and that we're trying to do the best we can."

A skeletal map of the body will show how different areas absorb particular
drugs. Statistics will list what types and quantities of drugs were seized
last year, the total street value of the drugs seized and how many
drug-related arrests were made.

The Web site also will include color photographs of some of the drugs more
commonly used by teen-agers and young adults.

"Most parents have no idea what a particular drug looks like," Thevenot
said. "They could be cleaning a kid's room and see something. That little
small pill could be OxyContin, or it might be a stimulant or a depressant.
We're trying to make everyone more informed so they'll see problems and can
address them early on when there is more of an opportunity to do something
about it."

The narcotics Web page is among several new and updated features on the
Sheriff's office Web site.

Col. Ken Hughes, technology services director for the Jefferson Parish
Sheriff's Office, is creating a Web page about the Young Marines, a program
designed to foster self-esteem, discipline and civic pride in its recruits,
and is awaiting final approval to feature deputies in a series called
"Profile in Blue."

Hughes said he has made other additions to the Web site in the past few
months, including information about Project STAR, a program launched in
1995 to crack down on drug-related crime in 17 neighborhoods.

He also reconfigured the Web page that includes monthly crime statistics
from 1998 to this year, and added a bar graph that shows at a glance how
crime stacks up, month-to-month, in the parish during the past four years.

"A picture is worth a thousand words," Hughes said, referring to the graph.
"You can see really quickly what crime is doing in the parish."

The Sheriff's Office Web site can be viewed at www.jpso.com.