Sincere Effort Needed To Squelch Drug Trade

Drug-related crime has been a problem in south Brooksville for a very long
time. Residents, police and others have worked, with varying degrees of
sincerity and results, to curb the problem. But recent incidents indicate
it is becoming worse and will require a renewed effort from the whole
community, not just law enforcement.

Three people have been shot in the area, commonly known as the Sub, in the
past two months. One person died, becoming the fourth consecutive
drug-related killing in the city. Each incident involved a person buying or
selling crack cocaine.

In response to the escalating violence, residents held a town meeting at
Kennedy Park recently to explore symptoms and possible solutions. Sheriff
Richard Nugent and Brooksville police Chief Ed Tincher were among those who
listened to the concerns and offered suggestions about what residents could
do to combat the crooks.

Creating a forum for such a dialogue is a good start, but the people who
live in south Brooksville know better than anyone that talk is cheap.
Residents there who doubt the commitment of public servants to pursue
lasting improvements have a rich, but sad, history on which to base their
conclusions.

People in south Brooksville have been mistreated and/or neglected for
generations. They've listened to all sorts of people engage in all sorts of
talk about how to improve the blighted, predominantly black neighborhood.
But deeds have seldom measured up to words, and it is no wonder people
there have become conditioned to expect little from those who claim they
want to help:

In the 1980s, the city squandered the bulk of a $2.3-million federal grant
that was earmarked for upgrading housing, sewers and streets.

The city has had a dismal minority hiring record.

AmeriCorps, a federal program designed to provide employment and promote
self-help initiatives in neighborhoods like south Brooksville, was forced
to shut down after a trio of local government agencies passed the buck on
handling the administrative chores.

And only late last year did the City Council agree to name one of its
streets after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an effort began 12 years ago.

While none of those singular efforts would have solved the area's
drug-related crime problems, together they might have made a lasting impact
if they had been implemented properly and promptly.

But it is clear now that law enforcement officials need to step up their
attempts to fight the drug trade and its associated violence. Residents at
the Feb. 21 meeting at Kennedy Park are literally living in fear for their
lives and those of their children. Brazen drug dealers are intimidating
law-abiding people, and those who have the courage to speak out risk
retaliation from the unpredictable thugs, many of whom use guns to get
their way.

Residents say the drug dealers are frightened by sheriff's deputies who
patrol the area, but have little respect for the city police department.
Sheriff Richard Nugent should work with city police Chief Ed Tincher to
capitalize on that reality. Increased patrols, especially at night, would
help keep drug dealers on the defensive. But committing more officers to
undercover operations, and targeting suppliers and distributors in addition
to street-level sellers and buyers, would be an even wiser use of resources.

But police protection alone will never work. A majority of neighbors must
unite to fight the common foe. To facilitate that sort of grass-roots
involvement, Nugent offered to donate used police cruisers to residents who
would volunteer to form a citizens' patrol. That could be an effective
crime-prevention tool because it sends a clear message to drug dealers that
they are not wanted and they cannot depend on their neighbors to look the
other way.

The key to such a pro-active response is sustaining it. If the drug dealers
and gunmen know that stepped-up enforcement is temporary, they simply will
lie low until the heat is off. But that is a prime time for law enforcement
personnel to advance their undercover work and strengthen their bond with
the community.

There are no easy solutions to the plague of drug addiction. The market
will always be there, and the addicts and dealers will always steal, kill
and be killed to satisfy their need for drugs and profit. But that
unsettling reality doesn't relieve the rest of us of the obligation to
always do our best to ensure the public's safety.

It's time for the sheriff, police chief and residents to rededicate
themselves to that mission in south Brooksville.