LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WARNING PARENTS ABOUT RAVES

Members of the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force are warning
parents about the dangers their teens could face at rave parties.

" It's basically a place where everyone gets together and listens to
techno music while waving light sticks around, " said Sgt. Doug Pope,
of the Fayetteville Police Department. " The drug of choice associated
with raves is typically ecstasy, psilocybin mushrooms, acid and
marijuana. "

Last week, Fayetteville police joined with the Washington County
Sheriff's Office to make several arrests at a rave east of
Fayetteville on Hog Ridge Hollow.

" They advertise through flyers around Dickson Street and
Fayetteville, and also over the Internet, " Pope said. " We were aware
of this last one just a couple of days before the event. One of our
techs learned about it over the Internet. "

Pope said undercover officers from the Fayetteville Police Department
attended the rave to make undercover drug buys, while Washington
County deputies set up road blocks to check for drunken drivers. While
no intoxicated drivers were arrested, 12 people were charged with drug
related offenses -- four of which were felonies -- and two firearm
violations.

" There were about 400 to 500 people, mainly between the ages of 18
and 23, but we also saw a family with two kids, around 5 and 9 years
old, " he said. " It was on a 4- to 5-acre piece of land with a large
stage and bathrooms set up all around. "

Pope said the undercover officers had to sign a waiver stating that
they weren't carrying any drugs with them.

" But when they heard about the road blocks, they were like ' if
anyone has any drugs, you might want to leave them here, '" Pope said.
" The drug use was really rampant that night and it wasn't just people
in Fayetteville. We arrested a lot of people from all over. One guy
who was selling drugs was from Tulsa (Okla. ). "

Washington County Sheriff Tim Helder said he hopes to address the
issue of rave parties by taking preventative measures.

" If we want to jump start the proactive side, we could start
notifying parents, " he said. " I'm assuming that most of these kids'
parents didn't know where they were going. Maybe the fallout of this
incident is letting people know what we found. "

While rave parties have been around for years, Pope said they are
becoming more popular in Northwest Arkansas.

" I'm aware of past parties out by the Washington County Fairgrounds,
" he said. " I know there have also been a few out Highway 16, past
Elkins, near Madison County. "

In other business, the drug task force named Deputy Chief Greg Tabor
as the task force's new chairman. Tabor will take the place of
Fayetteville Police Chief Frank Johnson, who recently announced his
retirement from the police department to work for Wal-Mart. Tabor,
will serve as interim chief following Johnson's last day, which will
be Sept. 1.