NEW COUNTY TASK FORCE CAN MAKE CASE FOR COOPERATION

Proposed Team To Tackle Drugs Breaks Down Barriers

A countywide drug task force is a good idea.

The plan to combine resources from the municipal police departments and the
Beaufort County Sheriff's Office can help each do a better job.

It can be especially helpful for Bluffton, where growth is stretching a
small police department very thin.

Bluffton established a one-officer drug task force six months ago, and one
result is a sharp increase in the number of drug arrests made.

Bluffton also is trying to get more citizens involved in law enforcement.
The town's 4-month-old Pubic Safety Committee is recruiting block captains
to start a neighborhood watch program.

Both the Bluffton Police Department and the Sheriff's Office are warning
that more personnel will be needed, and soon.

But the countywide drug task force offers advantages beyond that of
reinforcing departments struggling to meet growing demands for public services.

Drug deals are not restricted by municipal boundary lines. Drug cases can
begin in one jurisdiction and end in another. A drug dealer can live in one
jurisdiction and sell drugs in another.

And, as Sheriff P.J. Tanner points out, a good job can be done in Bluffton,
only to have the drug activity move to another jurisdiction nearby. A
broader viewpoint can better address the problem.

Bluffton Police Chief John Brown also points out that the task force will
lead to better coordination of the hard work being done by each department.

There needs to be more intergovernmental unity and regional approaches to
community issues in Beaufort County. It also has been noted that pollution
entering streams and rivers knows no governmental boundary lines.

Details of the drug task force are being worked on now. Taxpayers should be
glad to hear of this good-faith effort to get the most out of each dollar.