THE WAR ON DRUGS IS NEVER-ENDING

Last fall Operation Jaguar pulled a McGruff the Crime Dog and truly took a
bite out of crime in Springfield, arresting two dozen members of the
Gangster Disciples. This bust, which utilized the talents of law
enforcement officials from several jurisdictions, put a dent in the city's
big-ticket cocaine and crack-trafficking operations.

But police are quick to point out that such dents get repaired rapidly in
the lucrative drug trade. One gang specialist with the Springfield Police
Department notes that for every drug-selling gang member arrested in
Springfield, there are at least two more ready to make the move from East
St. Louis or Chicago to take his or her place.

In many cities when a powerful gang is broken up, police brace for gang
warfare. One gang is weakened, so another takes advantage of the situation
and moves in on the territory. Often lots of people end up dead.

Police say Springfield gangs don't seem to play by those rules. That's good
and bad. Police seem less concerned about gang warfare thanks to the fact
that gangs here are willing to coexist peacefully because the drug business
in the capitol city is so good everybody can make some money.

"They don't care where they sell, just as long as they get the sale," said
one cop explaining the general lack of turf wars.

Police learned from informants that the Gangster Disciples were making as
much as a $15,000 a day here after moving a branch of their operation from
Chicago to Springfield. The middle managers may not sport coats and ties,
but don't fool yourself - this is big business. If the daily sales figures
are correct, the Gangster Disciples were pulling nearly 5.5 Million in drug
sales out of Springfield in the early 1990s. You can bet that figure has grown.

While the gangs may be happy to work together, and who wouldn't with these
kind of nontaxed profits, that doesn't mean Springfield is safe from a big
increase in violence as the summer heats up and the Gangster Disciples
replacements cozy into their new business headquarters.

The sellers might not be shooting other sellers, but junkies will do just
about anything for a fix - home invasion, robbery, whatever it takes to buy
some more crack or another bag of white powder.

The war on drugs has been waged for many years. So far the drugs have won
every battle, and the tide doesn't seem to be turning.

As the local police pointed out in a State Journal-Register story this week,
sending a gang member to prison on drug charges means two things:

*The taxpayers pay the criminal's room and board for a few months or years.

*The criminal receives a promotion in the gang when he or she returns to the
streets.

Some argue that drugs should be decriminalized. They point to programs in
England and other countries that have shown promise. The fact is America
does not have the stomach for legalizing hard-core drugs, whether it is a
viable solution to break the drug/violence chain or not.

Law enforcement has also proven that jailing drug sellers is not the
solution. If the price is right, someone will always step into the
incarcerated person's shoes. Businesses thrive when they have customers and
die when they don't.

At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna, the only way to win the war on
drugs is for people to stop using them. While we realize this is a utopian
ideal that will not come to pass, we also know it is the truth.

Government can do some things to help. Police efforts do make a difference,
and community policing shows promise in at least giving impressionable kids
role models who fight for good not evil. Also, rather than simply
warehousing junkies in prisons, the government at all levels needs to
seriously commit to treatment programs that at least try to break the chains
of addiction.

In the end, however, it comes down to a personal decision. Those who choose
drugs and those who enable their children or family members to be involved
with drugs invite violence into their city, neighborhoods and homes.

No law and no army of police can change that.