GRANT WILL FURTHER FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

John Brownlee, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, has
allocated $100,000 to the Roanoke Police Department

for a program they're calling "Operation Safe Summer."

Brownlee said the money came from a federal grant program called Project
Safe Neighborhoods. At a news conference Monday, Brownlee presented Roanoke
Police Chief Joe Gaskins with the check and said that Roanoke police have
made "the city safer and lives greater." As an example, he cited the
arrests and recent convictions of two cocaine traffickers, Wendell Johnson
and Jovan Manning.

Gaskins said his department will use the money to enhance bicycle patrols
throughout the city this summer. The department has 72 trained officers and
53 bicycles available, but the money will allow them to increase the number
of man hours on the street, particularly in hot spots where drugs are a
problem, he said.

"If there is any one crime that is probably the catalyst for the majority
of crimes, it is drug offenses," he said.

In addition, the department will upgrade some of the cameras installed in
police cruisers. Every cruiser has a camera now, but Gaskins said he would
like to replace some with newer models.