COLOMBIA'S TOP COP QUITS, CITES DEATH TOLL

BOGOTA, Colombia -- The nation's top police official, an important U.S.
ally in the war on drugs, said yesterday that he was resigning, saying he
is tired of seeing his officers die.

Five years after making history by dismantling the Cali cocaine cartel,
Gen. Rosso Jose Serrano said this Andean nation's battle against drugs,
kidnapping and guerrilla violence has claimed too many lives.

"I've been to so many police officers' funerals I can't bear another," he said.

About 2,000 police officers have died in the line of duty since 1994, when
Serrano, now 58, became national police chief.

Serrano's retirement was widely expected. Late last year, he published his
memoirs, which became a best seller in Latin America.

The 40-year police veteran -- whose reputation for valor and honesty has
made him Colombia's most revered public official -- is stepping down at a
delicate moment.

President Andres Pastrana is lobbying in Washington, D.C., for a $1.7
billion anti-narcotics aid package that the Clinton administration has
pledged but Congress is holding up.

Serrano is highly regarded by U.S. lawmakers and other officials for his
close cooperation in the drug war.