NARCOTICS UNIT FINALLY BECOMES REALITY IN HENDERSON COUNTY

Sheriff Ronny Brownlow finally has his fully-funded task force.

Just don't call it that. The governor's office is kind of sensitive on the
issue.

Better to call it the Henderson County Narcotics Enforcement Unit. A task
force by any other name is fine with county authorities, so long as the
current drug problems get some much needed attention.

Brownlow went before the Henderson County Commissioners at their Monday
meeting to ask for a budget amendment of $1,045 to bring the grant position
up to lieutenant's pay. The move enables Brownlow to transfer Lt. Kay
Langford into that newly created position.

The request was unanimously approved and County Judge David Holstein
praised Brownlow for his "tenacity" in acquiring the grant. The vote
enables Langford, 44, to become head of the new Henderson County Narcotics
Enforcement Unit.

She gave up her position as the head of criminal investigation unit Tuesday
to lead a department that will soon include five narcotics investigators.

Langford is no stranger to law enforcement. She joined the department on
July 23, 1989. On March 10, 1991, she was critically wounded after being
shot by William Davis while answering a domestic disturbance call just
south of Athens. She fully recovered from her wounds and worked her way up
the career ladder.

She was promoted to an investigator's position in April of 1998 and became
head of the unit when Brownlow took office on Jan. 1, 2001. He called her a
dedicated professional who works with a lot of "tenacity."

"I'm really looking forward to working with this new unit," Langford said.
"We have a big problem with drugs in our county, and I'm looking forward to
working with this new unit to try to help curb this growing problem."

Selecting Langford to head up the new narcotics division started a chain
reaction of personnel changes, which began Tuesday at the Sheriff's department.

The Athens Police Department will use its part of the grant to supply
another narcotics investigator, and Gun Barrel City will add yet another
full-time member. Neither chief, Jim Vance of APD nor Richard Miller of
GBCPD, has announced who will fill those positions, as of Tuesday.

The cooperative effort will give all of the law-enforcement departments in
the county access to five narcotics officers. They will work with the
Department of Public Safety, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency and with
the 15 law-enforcement entities within the county who have signed working
agreements with the new association.

The county, which has been over-run by the drug problem, had as few as one
narcotics officer on duty in recent months before Botie Hillhouse was
promoted to narcotics investigative duties along with Jody Miller.

Besides those two from the sheriff's department, the unit will have
Langford, who will work both as an administrator and as a hands-on
investigator.

Replacing Langford will be veteran sheriff's department investigator Dan
Parker, 40, a veteran with 20 years experience, who has been promoted to
lieutenant.

Replacing Parker in the criminal investigation division, will be Sue
Allison, 35, who has been promoted from detention officer in the county
jail. She has prior investigative experience as part of the Gun Barrel City
police department.

Brownlow said a new employee would be hired to replace Allison as detention
officer.

"I was thrilled to get her back," Brownlow said of Allison's return from
Gun Barrel less than a year ago. "She proved herself there. She's good at
whatever job she's assigned to do."

Brownlow also praised Parker as being highly professional, not to mention a
lifetime resident of this area of East Texas after growing up in Brownsboro.

Why the grant funds suddenly became available, no one is quite sure. The
grant is actually federal money awarded to the state for distribution to
the counties as it sees fit.

And Henderson County didn't seem to fit.

Politically speaking, task forces are something offered counties who write
successful grants to the state soliciting federal dollars. Henderson County
had already written two of its own, both of which had been turned down by
the governor's office over the last 18 months.

The reason given for the second "turn down" was that the governor's office
had ruled such grants could only be awarded to "multiple counties."

As the rules were established by the state, there were no counties
realistically for Henderson County to partner up with.

So disgruntled law officers in the county, fearing Henderson would be left
out of the grant money altogether, met to form the county's own task force.

The 15 county law-enforcement entities and their police chiefs at the time
agreed to supply personnel and assistance, and money as they could afford
it, for a narcotics unit to be headed up by the Henderson County Sheriff's
Department.

Though it wasn't immediately clear how they'd get the money, each entity
agreed to meet with its city fathers in search of financial solutions.

Before they could get the unit rolled out, though, the state had a change
of heart. It sent the county and the Athens Police Department letters
saying it had decided to provide funding for two narcotics officers -- one
for the city and one the county. The governor's office has awarded
Henderson County with enough of the grant to fund two new narcotics
officers for the next four years, and that was about what Brownlow was
asking for in the creation of the new unit.

In other action taken at Monday's meeting, Henderson County commissioners
voted:

unanimously to pay $522,950.95 in bills between July 28 and Aug. 8.

4-1 to approve budget amendments with Pct. 2 Commissioner Wade McKinney
casting the nay vote because of concern over some of the expenses turned in
by county employees;

unanimously to approve the 2nd quarter treasurer's report;

unanimously to approve the monthly treasurer's report for June;

unanimously to honor request from Star Harbor to repair and repave Starview
Drive, up to a $3,000 limit;

unanimously accepted a motion from Pct. 2 Commissioner Wade McKinney to
deny a bid on a lot in the Mabank ISD because he felt it was insufficient;

unanimously approved a proposed location of a water line in the City of
Eustace:

unanimously approved acceptance of a donation by the Dogwood Ridge property
owners of $12,000 for road material costs for the reconstruction of certain
roads within the subdivision;

took no action on whether or not to replace the engine in Constable Danny
Howard's patrol car, pending further evaluation, as requested by Pct. 2
Commissioner Wade McKinney.