WESTCHESTER DA'S TEAM NETS 242 GUN, DRUG ARRESTS

Three years after it was established to combat the increasing flow of drugs
from New York City into Westchester, a special narcotics investigation team
is making significant busts and fostering a new spirit of cooperation among
various law enforcement agencies.

The Westchester District Attorney Narcotics Initiative, or W-DANI, targets
mid- and high-level drug rings that supply most of the dope sold locally.
Composed of investigators from New York City, state police, the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the District Attorney's Office and
Mount Vernon police, the 16-member task force works with local police to go
after drug suppliers.

"What W-DANI has done is consistently target and arrest mid-level drug
traffickers operating as the largest dealer in their town or village, and
then cut off their New York City sources," said Westchester District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Since February 1999, W-DANI efforts have led to 242 arrests on felony drug
or weapons charges in 37 police jurisdictions and taken an estimated $2
million worth of drugs and guns off the streets. Investigators have seized
$1.3 million in alleged drug profits. According to the District Attorney's
Office, about 96 percent of those arrested have been convicted. Recent
cases include:

* March 1: Three Mount Pleasant men are arrested on felony drug charges in
an investigation by North Castle and Mount Pleasant police and W-DANI.
Authorities also seize $10,000 worth of ketamine, also known as Special K.

* Feb. 26: A White Plains man is charged with felony drug possession after
authorities seize a pound of "black tar" heroin from Mexico with an
estimated value of $250,000 from him in a case investigated by W-DANI and
White Plains police.

* Jan. 23: A Connecticut man is arrested after selling 230 Ecstasy tablets
to an undercover W-DANI investigator in North Salem. Also seized are an
ounce of crack, a handgun and $3,000.

W-DANI "has been successful because it's focused, it crosses jurisdictional
boundaries, it has the resources needed for long, intense investigations
and it involves a well-rounded, hard-working group of people," said Maj.
Thomas Fazio, commander of Troop K of the state police, which covers
Westchester and Putnam counties. Fazio said the task force's makeup
contributes to its success.

"Each agency involved brings its own benefits to the table," he said. "When
it comes to expertise, no one has a corner on the market. W-DANI has a
group of well-rounded people, and they learn different investigative
techniques from each other." Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Bernice
Kennedy agreed. Noting that W-DANI recently worked with his department in a
major investigation into crack that led to three arrests, he said the
"chance to work with a lot of different agencies is already giving us
concrete results."

For local police, W-DANI offers valuable resources and manpower. Drug
investigations can go on for weeks and sometimes months, and many
departments can't afford to assign officers exclusively to those cases.

"Manpower is very important in these kinds of cases," said Detective Sgt.
James Varco, one of two detectives in the North Castle Police Department.
"Sometimes, you have to set up a surveillance on several people or
locations, for long periods of time. W-DANI gives us the ability to do that."

While most investigations rely on traditional techniques such as staking
out suspects, pounding the pavement for leads and using informants, the
initiative also takes advantage of the latest eavesdropping and
vehicle-tracking technology. They have portable devices that can intercept
pager messages, wiretaps for listening to and recording phone conversations
and electronic equipment that can follow the movements of several vehicles
at the same time.

"The suspects in these cases are very sophisticated," said Capt. Peter
Viviano, commander of the White Plains police Detective Division. "To get
information on these guys, you have to break through the barriers they've
put up to protect themselves. It takes manpower and technology, and W-DANI
gives us both."

As important as the technology and manpower resources, authorities say, is
the spirit of cooperation W-DANI has fostered between agencies.

"Information is the be-all and end-all of any criminal investigation, and
sharing that kind of information doesn't happen a lot," Viviano said.
"Police departments historically have kept their intelligence information
close to the vest. A task force like W-DANI, because it involves so many
agencies, becomes a conduit for sharing information, and leads to bigger
busts. Look at the amount of drugs being seized -- it's having an impact.
You're making it harder for street-level dealers to get product."

It works, said Inspector Daniel Mullin, executive officer of the NYPD's
Narcotics Division, "because there are no egos involved. No one is looking
to protect turf here. They just go where the case takes them, and they work
it hard, no matter what jurisdiction it's in."

While the early results have been gratifying, Pirro said she's hopeful that
more local police will take advantage of the initiative and build on its
success.

"There's a domino effect that occurs," she said. "One investigation leads
to another and another and another. We're in this for the long haul, and
we're urging local police departments and public officials to support this
effort by assigning a police officer to W-DANI to further strengthen its
effectiveness We're all in the same business -- going after the source of
drugs flowing into Westchester County."