MAGNOLIA ADDS OFFICER TO DRUG UNIT

City officials in Magnolia have given Police Chief Ray Reynolds permission
to assign one of his officers to assist the Southwest Mississippi Narcotics
Enforcement Unit on a part-time basis.

The agreement between police and SMNEU is meant to help root out drug
activity in Magnolia by sharing information more readily. The Magnolia
SMNEU officer is expected to initiate drug investigations within the city
limits.

No direct costs come with the agreement, but some aldermen were concerned
that overtime pay issues may arise. Reynolds said he planned to monitor the
officer's work schedule to prevent overtime. Still, aldermen want to review
the agreement in 60 days before deciding to continue the agreement.

The Magnolia officer's involvement with SMNEU will be no more than eight
hours per pay period and primarily will be on an on-call basis.

As part of the agreement, Magnolia will receive 80 percent of the seizures
in the city initiated by the Magnolia officer.

"This is going to be a plus for us," Reynolds said.

The current efforts by police to combat drug activity in Magnolia have been
going well, but Reynolds said SMNEU assistance could result in more arrests.

"Our program now is very effective," Reynolds said. "But there's more that
could be done. Follow the crime statistics. They have been going down. If
we can control the drug activity, then we can cut down on other crimes too."

Area agencies participating in the SMNEU include the McComb Police
Department, Pike County Sheriff's Department, Pike County District
Attorney's Office, Copiah County Sheriff's Department and the Brookhaven
Police Department.