DRUG WAR NUMBERS

The Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task force has been making fewer
arrests but getting more bang for its busts.

"Our drug-arrest numbers are lower, however, the amount of drugs were
seizing is increasing," says Lt. Brian Ackeret, the task force
commander. He attributes this to "our targeting of middle-to
upper-level distributors."

In 2003, the task force made 459 arrests, down from 583 the year
before, according to its newly released annual report. But the amount
of drugs seized rose dramatically in most categories, from about 5,000
to 8,000 grams of powder cocaine, 600 to 2,250 grams of crack cocaine,
and 40 to 75 grams of heroin. Marijuana seizures were way down, from
about 4,600 to 900 ounces. (Pot possession remains the top drug-charge
category; Ackeret says pot is so prevalent it turns up often even
though it's not an enforcement priority.)

Drug buys were up slightly for marijuana (2003 total: 67 ounces) and
heroin (13 grams). The biggest jump was for crack, with drug agents
scoring 427 grams, up from about 20 in 2002; Ackeret says one or two
major busts "skewed the data" in this category. (For the report, see
www.ci.madison.wi.us/police.)

Here's a statistic not in the report: Ackeret says his 18-member unit
last year spent $39,000 buying drugs, and at least some of this money
ended up staying in dealers' hands. Talk about an ironic destination
of law-enforcement dollars.