GRAND JURY FRET ABOUT DRUG USE

HOPKINSVILLE -- Concerned about the relationship between illegal drug use
and racial boundaries, the Christian County grand jury wants law
enforcement agencies to pursue the war on drugs in "all sections of the
community."

"We were concerned that the majority of the cases involved
African-Americans," the jury stated in its report issued Friday. "The
appearance of racial bias had never been an issue during our term."

The November-December panel concluded its work Friday. In their report,
signed by foreman Hope Moore, jurors said they understood "there are
certain sections of the community where drug trafficking is more obvious"
and asked police to target all areas in the county.

The rate of pay a juror earns for service also was a concern among members
of the panel.

"Jury duty affects our entire community and fair compensation should not be
too much to ask for," according to the report.

In their two months of work, jurors returned indictments in 159 cases,
returned "no-true bills" in four cases, referred five cases to Christian
District Court for further review and held 70 cases over for the next grand
jury to consider.