COUNTYWIDE TASK FORCE TO FIGHT DRUGS

BLUFFTON -- By collaborating with other police departments in the
county, Bluffton hopes to combat a growing drug problem that is a
result of increased population, said police Chief John Brown.

Brown met last week with Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner and the
police chiefs of Port Royal, Beaufort and Yemassee to discuss forming
a countywide drug task force. Coordinating efforts will allow law
enforcement agencies to be more effective, Brown said.

Dealers often live in one jurisdiction but sell drugs in another, or
may move if police begin surveillance or making drug busts, said
Tanner, who is heading the effort.

"In Bluffton, we can do several months of investigation, put a bunch
of people in jail, then it will start back up again in a different
area," Tanner said.

Bluffton, Port Royal and the city of Beaufort will contribute one
officer each to the task force, Yemassee will dedicate a part-time
position, and the Sheriff's Office will assign five deputies, Tanner
said.

Sheriff's Office Staff Sgt. Marvin Morrision, who is in charge of
setting up the task force, will meet with Brown next week to begin
working out the details, Tanner said.

Bluffton established a one-man drug task force about six months ago
when Cpl. Darrell Jackson was assigned to fight the town's drug
problem, Brown said. Cpl. Patrick Blankenship divides his time between
the drug task force and regular patrol. The Bluffton Police Department
employs eight officers including Chief Brown.

Drug crimes in Bluffton are investigated by surveillance from patrol
cars and on foot, and the department is involved in several "larger,
long-term investigations," Brown said. He declined to comment about
other methods or drug hot spots in town, for fear of compromising
ongoing investigations.

Seventeen people were arrested for illegal drugs -- mostly marijuana
and cocaine -- from June through September this year, compared to none
in the same period last year, according to statistics on file at Town
Hall. However, these numbers don't represent the real scope of the
problem, Brown and local residents agree.

Dubois Lane resident Alice Huggins said dealers who sell drugs on her
street are plaguing the neighborhood.

"They are hanging around selling and using, and when they see the
police car they run," she said.

Bluffton Town Councilman Oscar Frazier said although he hasn't seen
transactions, he suspects people are selling drugs in his Guerrard
Street neighborhood.

"I go out and tell them I know what they are doing and to leave, and
they do," Frazier said.

Brown and Tanner say increased population growth is behind the rise in
crime. In the last decade, the town of Bluffton grew nearly 73
percent, its population increasing from 738 in 1990 to 1,275 in 2000,
according to U.S. Census numbers this year. With recent annexations,
the town has grown from just over 600 acres to nearly 32,000 acres.

The police department and the town's 4-month-old Public Safety
Committee are trying to keep up. Last month, Brown hired a school
resource officer for H.E. McCracken Middle School and a patrol officer
to work nights. The Public Safety Committee is recruiting block
captains to start a neighborhood watch program, and is seeking
volunteer reserve officers to assist with festivals and patrols.

Brown said he would like a Spanish-speaking reserve officer to help
the police department deal with Bluffton's growing Hispanic
population. He's also planning to ask Town Council to hire a part-time
administrative assistant for his department and eventually another
officer.

In addition, the Sheriff's Office has requested three additional
deputies for the Bluffton area and the area between the Broad River
bridge, the New River bridge and the Karl S. Bowers Bridge to Hilton
Head Island, to start in January. Four Sheriff's Office deputies now
patrol the area during the day and two at night, Tanner said.