BEVERLY WILL SEEK HELP FOR AREA HURT BY DRUGS

BEVERLY -- The section of this city that has been plagued in recent
years by rampant drug dealing soon could receive relief as a Quality
of Life Special Enforcement Zone, the first such designation in
Burlington County.

The state Attorney General's Office created the special zones to
identify locations known as hot spots, or open-air drug markets. Drug
dealers caught in these areas, which are similar to the special zones
near schools, face stiffer prison sentences.

Beverly City Mayor Robert Lowden Jr. said he planned to notify the
Burlington County Prosecutor's Office this week that Beverly officials
would like to designate the center of the city as a special zone. The
zone, which would encompass about half the city's area, would include
Broad, Cooper, and Magnolia Streets.

"We want to include our whole redevelopment area in the zone," Lowden
said. "Why build or renovate houses if they're going to be victimized?
We want to make our redevelopment areas a lot safer." Beverly is in
the midst of redeveloping aging homes after receiving more than $1
million in grants.

In Gloucester County, 40 neighborhoods in nine communities have been
designated as special enforcement zones, and results have been
visible, officials said.

"They [ drug dealers and users ] are not congregating on the street
corners. The zones have been very effective," said Debbie Romano,
spokeswoman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Beverly officials have struggled for years to reduce street sales of
narcotics. Efforts to combat the problem have included increasing the
local police force and using county sheriff's officers for patrols.

Beverly City Solicitor Denis Germano said officials from the
Burlington County Prosecutor's Office told him the city's
drug-trafficking area could be designated a special enforcement zone
once the necessary steps were taken.

City officials have conducted meetings with residents to discuss the
idea. They also have compiled police records to demonstrate the need,
as required. Beverly police report that they have made 51 drug-related
arrests in the area from June through September. Detective Sgt. Jack
Smith, spokesman for the county Prosecutor's Office, said that if the
procedures and paperwork were in order, the area would be the first in
the county to be designated as a special enforcement zone.


Checked-by: Rich O'Grady