LONG BEACH PLAGUED BY OVERDOSES

LONG BEACH - Long Beach has a higher per capita rate of fatal drug
overdoses than any other area of Harrison County, according to a Sun
Herald analysis of death statistics.

That comes as no surprise to city officials, who say they share the
community's growing frustrations over the latest overdose incident
that sent three teenagers to a hospital.

The teens survived, but one remained hospitalized Wednesday in guarded
condition at a cardiac unit.

However, given different circumstances, they could have become part of
statistics compiled by the Harrison County coroner, whose numbers show
that drug overdoses from January through August claimed 29 lives,
including six people from Long Beach.

Comparing the deaths to the Census 2000 population numbers, Long Beach
has a fatal overdose rate of 35 per 100,000 people. It's the highest
deadly overdose rate in the county.

Some citizens are quick to blame law enforcement, said Coroner Gary
Hargrove, who investigates the cause of every unnatural death.

"What more do people want us to do? It's not like we've kept these
problems a secret," he said.

"We've been putting the word out about the dangers. But kids aren't
paying attention and their parents aren't looking for warning signs. I
know it sounds cold-hearted, but until people start taking
responsibility, more kids are going to end up in a coma, in a
hospital, or in a morgue."

But it's a problem among all ages, Hargrove said.

Mayor Robert Bass points out that Long Beach has led the way in
Harrison County to address related issues with its Drug Task Force,
educational programs and the support of school officials and police.

"We've got to quit pointing fingers and work together as a community,"
Bass said.

The Police Department doesn't have a full-time narcotics investigator,
although aldermen have approved money for an officer who also would be
assigned to the Coastal Narcotics Enforcement Team, Bass said.

Police Chief Harley Schinker said none of the police officers on the
force who meet CNET's criteria want the job. The criteria requires at
least three years of experience, he said.

"The past two police chiefs couldn't fill the position or keep it
staffed either," said Schinker, who became police chief in July 2002.

Schinker said he asked for volunteers as recently as two months
ago.

"With turnover and losing officers to military call-ups, it's a bigger
priority making sure we have enough offers to respond to calls for
service," Schinker said.

That's not to say police aren't making drug arrests, he said, noting
that police investigators and patrol officers arrested 102 people on
drug charges last year. In September, police arrested 12 people on
drug charges, compared to four drug arrests the same month last year.

Schinker said he used resources from the state Bureau of Narcotics in
an undercover drug investigation that resulted in six arrests earlier
this month. A seventh person would have been arrested if he hadn't
died of a drug overdose, Schinker said.

Carrolyn Hamilton, superintendent of the Long Beach School District,
said she credits educational programs supported by the Long Beach Drug
Task Force, police patrols and drug dogs from the Sheriff's Department
with reinforcing "zero tolerance" of drugs in city schools.

"It's something we're very worried about," Hamilton said.

"The surveys we've done in the past three years in grades six through
11 indicate that students are doing drugs, but they don't seem to be
bringing them to school. They're doing it after school hours and on
weekends," Hamilton said.

Parking lot patrols, for instance, have turned up only one incident of
marijuana on campus at the high school and several cases of tobacco
products, according to police reports.

The city school district starts random drug testing this month. The
students subject to drug testing are those involved in extracurricular
activities or who drive on campus, said Hamilton.

"We run enough drug dogs through here that most kids don't bring drugs
to school," said Susan Whiten, principal of Long Beach High.

"We search lockers, our DARE officer has trained teachers on warning
signs and teachers are asked to call administration if a student
appears to be sick or not lucid," Whiten said.

"We do have a core group of parents who are concerned," she said, "but
there's always room for improvement."