EXAMINE THE ROLE OF LANDLORDS

Here's an idea: why don't police start charging hotel owners and slum
landlords when they knowingly allow crack houses to flourish?

The concept is fraught with legal difficulties, to be sure. And such
moves must be examined from every angle. It may be that any enabling
laws have far-reaching, unintended consequences. The idea raises all
sorts of side questions.

And frankly, newspapers, like phone companies and Internet providers,
may find themselves in rough seas on this one, particularly when it
comes to the difficulties inherent in handling some classified ads.

But with police struggling to fight the proliferation of crack and
other drugs, it may be time to get tougher with the enablers of the
trade.

A crack house was raided in Orillia back in August and police found a
huge, high-calibre handgun during the operation. Some people who spoke
to The Packet at the time said it was obvious what was going on there
before the raid. There are other places in the city with the same
activities occurring, those people told us at the time.

What responsibility should property owners have when it comes to
illegal activity inside the walls of their buildings, keeping in mind
that they are bound by the law as well when it comes to privacy and
access?

It was a little alarming to hear the unmistakable frustration in
Barrie Police Chief Wayne Frechette's statement after Project Stone
Cold led to 17 arrests in that city to the south - no doubt causing
ripples in Orillia.

"We're not (so) naive to think this will have a lasting impact - most
of these people will be out on bail before the week's out," he said.

That speaks to the short sentences handed out in drug crimes. But
there is frustration on a variety of levels.

Local criminal lawyer Carl Garland recently told The Packet that
Orillia is drowning in a sea of crack and the justice system is
failing to respond. He sees drug counselling and preventative measures
as the way to go.

Perhaps pressuring lax property owners into more responsible action is
one small part of the solution when it comes to prevention.