OUTGOING CNT COMMANDER SPEAKS OUT

Eddie Williams used to love undercover work.

Something about the adrenaline rush of waiting for drug dealers to
make their next move.

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team commander remembers one
operation in the 1970s, when he and a partner watched a southside
drug dealer for a week - without showering, sleeping or eating a
decent meal. Seizing a Winnebago filled with marijuana and arresting
20 people made every minute of those five days worth it, he said.

He remembers one dealer who tried to hide marijuana by scattering it
across a lawn for chickens to eat.

Memories like that are what the 57-year-old wants to hold on to.

He'd rather forget the politics and the public's perceptions
surrounding drugs and crime.

Williams, commander since 2003, is leaving his position, saying he no
longer feels effective.

In the 33 years he's worked in Chatham County law enforcement,
Williams has seized large amounts of narcotics. He's seen street
transactions change from LSD and hashish to OxyContin and
methamphetamine.

In mid-September, Williams submitted a letter announcing his
retirement. He plans to leave Dec. 29.

"I wanted to change the drug problem. I wanted to see elderly people
come back and sit on their porches," he said. "I think I've touched
some lives, but I don't think I made a dent in the drug situation."

'Hunting bad guys'

Williams grew up in Savannah. He graduated in 1967 from Beach High
School, where he met recruiters for the FBI. While the job sounded
fascinating, he didn't want to leave the city. So, he took a job as
an aircraft assembler at Gulfstream.

There, he saw friends trade wrenches for badges. On April's Fools Day
1973, Williams joined the Chatham County Police Department.

"It seemed like it was a secure job at the time," he
said.

He worked patrol initially, but he was quickly transferred to the
Metro Drug Squad, the county's drug unit.

For years, Williams moved between the police department and drug
squad. He worked in training, crime prevention, public affairs and
traffic.

But his first love remained "hunting bad guys and getting drugs off
the streets," he said.

In 1994, the Metro Drug Squad folded. The concept of the
Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team emerged as a result. The
county and surrounding municipalities agreed to combine to create one
task force to fight the spread of drugs.

Again, Williams was sent to work narcotics. He served as a sergeant
under former CNT Commander Tom Sprague. Williams served for several
years before being transferred back to the county force.

In January 2002, he was appointed interim commander. Almost a year
and a half later, he was named full-time commander.

But as he moved up the ranks and became more involved in CNT, he
worked less of the undercover operations he loved.

He saw more young people take over street corners and more children
walking past boarded-up homes. Drugs still infiltrate nearly every
neighborhood and are a part of virtually every crime in Chatham
County, he said.

"I'm frustrated to the point where you wonder if you've actually done
your best," Williams said. "The drug problem is bigger than me. It's
bigger than the political situation."

Changing the playing field

In October 2003, the city and county police departments
merged.

"I didn't question it. We had a job to do," he said. "Everyone kept
saying, 'What do you think about the merger?' And I said, 'We already
were merged.' "

The merger promised more aggressive drug enforcement. It also brought
renewed community and political interest in fighting drugs. With that
came more pressure on CNT, Williams said.

"All of these bosses I have. It's a big conflict dealing with that,"
he said.

Williams said he also has been struggling with "serious" staffing
problems.

Over the past year, CNT has averaged 11 vacancies, he said. That's
almost a quarter of the 42-agent force.

"For two years now, they've been running 10-12 vacancies that haven't
been filled. That's 25 percent of his manpower," Sprague said. "Then
they are held accountable when a drug explosion occurs, whether it's
a perception or reality."

Williams said CNT often had officers assigned to it who did not want
to do narcotics work; officers who were sent by their agency "as some
sort of punishment," he said.

Williams also cites complex social problems, such as a lack of drug
treatment locally, and what he calls an "improper" court system as
part of the struggle.

"There's a revolving door at the jail," he said. "I can take three
off the streets, and three more are willing to take their place.
We're Band-aiding a lot of problems."

Williams also cited what he termed morale problems, poor
communication and police in-fighting as sources of concern, but he
declined to elaborate.

He is now looking for a new job. He won't say if he plans to stay in
law enforcement, but he has no plans to leave his home town.

He says what he'll do right away is refurbish two bathrooms and a
hallway in his southside home.

"Eddie was always someone you can rely on. His integrity is
unquestionable and he was loyal," Sprague said. "But you get to the
point where you say, 'Is it worth it?' I think what happened is Eddie
got buried with the politics of it: trying to do the job and people
sharp-shooting from the outside. ... It's a hell of a stress level."

"There's always going to be someone who thinks they can do your job
better than you can," Williams said. "More power to him."