MCPEEK: GO AFTER DRUGS

Mike McPeek, who is challenging incumbent Henry County Sheriff Lane
Perry in the Nov. 6 election, said drug problems and restoring trust
rank high on voters' lists of concerns.

In his second bid for the post, McPeek said he is unsure what programs
are in place to address the drug issue. However, "there definitely
needs to be a major drug task force between the county, city, state
and feds. It needs to be a continual battle, because it's out there,"
he said.

Noting the correlation between drugs and other crime, McPeek said "the
more drug problems you have" in an area, the more likely the same area
will have many break-ins by those looking for an easy way to get money
to buy drugs. McPeek said he would aim to arrest bigger dealers in
sweeps if he is elected sheriff.

"You can take small drug dealers off the street every day, but
there'll be three or four taking their place," he said, adding that
the supplier is the person police must nab.

Also, "I have no problem with all the (drug) charges going" federal
and another agency sharing the credit for a drug bust, through the
Drug Enforcement Agency, McPeek said. "The issue is to get drugs off
the street."

If he becomes sheriff and receives a call from a resident alleging
drug activity in a particular area, "the first thing I'm going to do
is check with the vice unit to see if we're working on it," McPeek
said.

If so, he will let the resident know. If not, "I'll send an officer
out to that residence" and have the officer "knock on the door and
ask" to search the house, McPeek said.

If the resident asks the officer for a search warrant, McPeek said the
officer would be instructed to "just walk off and say, 'Have a nice
day.'"

McPeek said he would assign a patrol car to the area "the next day,
and the next day and the next day until I run them out of business."

He would not, however, "step on anybody's rights," because an officer
either needs permission from the resident to enter a house or a search
warrant. Before a search warrant can be obtained, there must enough
evidence to demonstrate probable cause, McPeek said.

He also would begin a street crimes unit to work in conjunction with
the vice unit in high-risk areas of law enforcement. "I would apply
for every grant I could get" to fund the program and use existing
officers to staff the program on their days off, McPeek said.

He also would have a map showing where the majority of drug activity
or other crimes are taking place and concentrate on areas with high
concentrations of drug problems and/or break-ins, McPeek said.

Another goal would be holding educational forums at Ruritan meetings,
churches and the like, on home/personal safety, gun safety, scams,
safe driving and drug identification, McPeek said.

The Community Oriented Policing (COPs) Unit and School Resource
Officers (SROs) would be responsible for the educational programs.

"We need to have these educational programs rather than them
(officers) going around and telling you (you) need to mow your grass
or there's a junk car you need to clean up," McPeek said.

Currently, there is no D.A.R.E. program in county schools, "and I
would do everything in my power to get D.A.R.E. back in schools," he
said.

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) was founded in 1983 and is
a program designed to give kids the skills they need to avoid
involvement in drugs, gangs and violence, according to the D.A.R.E Web
site.

Police officers lead a series of classroom lessons that teach students
in kindergarten through 12th grade to resist peer pressure and live
productive drug and violence-free lives, the Web site stated.

If that cannot be done, "then I have no problem" with taking the
D.A.R.E. program "to after-school programs ... private schools" or
home-schooled children, McPeek said. "Just because you don't come to
public schools doesn't mean you should be left out" of drug prevention
programs, which would illustrate not only what drugs such as marijuana
"look like, but what it can do to you."

The programs could even go a step further with distinctive-smelling
drugs such as marijuana.

"We could get some, set it on fire and let them see what it smells
like" so students and others in a drug prevention program could
readily recognize the odor in the future, McPeek said.

Creating more neighborhood watch groups also is essential to providing
a safe community, McPeek said, adding that he believes there are only
a handful of active watch groups in the county.

The community watch groups are an important tool for law enforcement,
because they are the eyes and ears. "You can't have too many eyes" in
the area, he said.