MAKING A DENT

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton and his drug enforcement unit, the
Special Investigations Division, heard the cries of residents and they
respond. The end result - the arrest of 28 suspected drug and alcohol
dealers. Residents have made their pleas since Thornton went into office
over two years ago, and Thornton has pledged to do his part to take dealers
and users off the streets, helping to rid neighborhood of drug dealers who
ply their trade on street corners and in homes, drawing to their
communities gunfire and other types of crimes, and instilling fear in the
hearts of law-abiding citizens.

That was the catalyst for Operation Crack Pot, a six-month undercover
investigation that culminated Wednesday and Thursday with the rounding-up
of suspects charged with everything from possession of non-tax paid liquor
to maintaining a dwelling and conspiracy to sell cocaine.

Thornton said yesterday that the round-up "had generated a lot of talk."

We think he's right. And the talk has both been about the SID's intent to
clean up the county of drugs and the more secure feeling residents have
knowing law enforcement is committed to hearing their problems and reacting
to them.

Every resident of Sampson County should feel a little safer because
Thornton and his department weren't merely using words filled with air;
they were filled with action.

Thornton and his SID officers have been adamant about ridding the county of
the seedy characters who wreak havoc on our neighborhoods, hook our
children and entice those who simply have no willpower of their own.

And law enforcement officers risk their lives to ensure that residents
could feel a little safer tonight.

No words can really nick the edges of the appreciation county residents
should feel toward law enforcement officers who have made it their life's
work to clean up the drug trade, slow it and, one day, stamp it out altogether.

It's a lofty goal, but our law enforcement officers believe with all their
heart that it's a winnable one if they remain tenacious in their attempts
to stop the flow of drugs one dealer at a time.

We applaud their goals and we applaud every effort they've made toward that
goal, including this most recent operation.

While it's clear that as long as there is a demand for drugs across this
county, there will be someone there to supply that need, no matter how many
people are arrested and no matter how many people are convicted, what the
SID has this week shows show dealers they mean business.

Now it's time for our justice system to do the same. Arrests have been
made. The charges should be made to stick if defendants are guilty, and
they should not be allowed to continue receiving probationary or reduced
sentences. If they are, then we should question what happens in court.

For now, we are pleased to see law enforcement listening to its residents
and doing its part to alleviate real fears.

Our hats are off to the SID and Thornton for their continued efforts to
take drugs out of Sampson County. And we applaud law enforcement officers
for their determination, their sacrifice and their abilities.

While it might not stop the sell of drugs, each arrest makes its dent. And
enough dents can bring about the results many of us would like to see - a
county free of drugs and the problems that always follow.