NEW ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE COMES ON WHEELS

A Ford Explorer Whose Previous Owner Was A Drug Dealer Is Now In The
Hands Of The Sheriff's Office

When Clifford Deutsch rumbles through a neighborhood in his
tricked-out 2000 Ford Explorer, complete with spinning hubcaps, a DVD
player and a sound system so powerful it drains the truck's battery,
he's sending a message to kids.

That message, he said, is look what drug money can buy -- and what
the Collier County Sheriff's Office will, most definitely, take away.

Deutsch is a sergeant with the Sheriff's Office whose job is to
intercept illegal contraband being trafficked in Florida. The
Explorer, he said, is the former ride of choice of Antonio Lopez, 26,
of Lehigh Acres. About six months ago Deutsch caught Lopez
trafficking nine bags of cocaine worth nearly $10,000. Lopez was
federally indicted and is in federal custody, Deutsch said.

Shortly after the arrest, Deutsch said he had an idea about how to
use the truck.

"I thought it would be a great tool to educate the youth of today to
not use drugs or traffic illegal contraband in Collier County," he said.

Deutsch went through the process of having the Explorer legally
seized and added to the agency's fleet. He then had the truck
outfitted with a light bar, siren and a sheriff's star on the side.
He also had a message added to the back and sides of the truck --
"Confiscated from a Drug Dealer."

There was no cost to taxpayers to have the Explorer outfitted,
Deutsch said. The light bar and siren were donated by Illinois-based
Federal Signal Corp., which manufactures emergency products. The
tires, rims and spinners were donated by Naples-based Super Trucks.
Naples-based Diego's Signs did the custom striping.

"I didn't want the community to have any financial responsibilities
outfitting the vehicle," Deutsch said.

Matt Bolen, owner of Super Trucks, said he has worked with the
Sheriff's Office before and was happy to make a donation.

"I've got two little girls myself and I don't want them to get mixed
up with drugs," Bolen said.

For Adam Black, a sales representative for Federal Signal Corp. and
an ex-narcotics agent, helping Deutsch was an easy decision.

"Cliff was so serious about his drive and motivation," Black said.
"We're both narcotics cops so we know how dangerous drugs are and how
valuable it is to educate children before they have to make a
decision of whether to use or not to use."

Although the Explorer has a light bar, siren and sheriff's star, it
will not be used for patrol, Deutsch said. Instead, it will be used
for demonstrations and public relations purposes.

"I think it's more important to educate the youth and the community
than to have a routine patrol," Deutsch said. "We think it's too
valuable to tie up like that."

Deutsch said the truck, which he's been driving for about two weeks,
is already helping him spread his anti-drug message. He said he's
already brought the Explorer to a DARE graduation and many of the
kids wanted to stand next to it.

"I can't drive down the road without pulling up to a traffic light
and somebody giving me the thumbs-up," Deutsch said.

Many of the vehicles the Sheriff's Office confiscates are added to
the department's fleet and used for undercover work, Deutsch said.
Some, he said, are simply auctioned off. Deutsch said that if the
Explorer proves popular, he hopes more seized vehicles will be
converted into rolling anti-drug messages.

"I hope it's perceived as a positive tool," Deutsch said. "Hopefully
whoever is thinking about transporting contraband through our county
will think twice."