NOMINEE PROMISES NEW AGENTS

Bush Choice For DEA Pledges to Boost NNY

WASHINGTON - President Bush's nominee to head the federal Drug
Enforcement Agency has promise to hire new agents for Northern New
York and elevate the regional office's status in the agency, Sen.
Charles E. Schumer announced Thursday.

Mr. Schumer, D N.Y., secured the pledge from the nominee, Karen Tandy,
in a meeting Thursday in advance of her confirmation vote in the senate.

Ms. Tandy promise to hire two agents, including a senior management
agent called a resident agent in charge for the Plattsburgh office,
said Black Zeff, a spokesman for Mr. Schumer. With a resident agent in
charge, he said, the office gains higher status in the DEA
bureaucracy.

Finally, Ms. Tandy said she would add a criminal investigator to the
office and expressed a willingness to add two more agents later, Mr.
Zeff said. The first new arrivals could come within a year, he said.

"This could be a significant breakthrough in efforts to address drug
trafficking in Northern New York," Mr. Zeff said.

The Plattsburgh office handles federal drug enforcement in Franklin,
St. Lawrence and Clinton counties.

The office has three agents. Mr. Schumer, citing complains he received
from DEA sources, has called on the DEA to add four more. An
independent consultant also reported recently that drug traffic
through Plattsburgh must be reduced.

Mr. Shumer office reported that authorities made 26 arrest from the
plattsburgh office in the first half of this fiscal year, on pace to
beat the totals of 47 in fiscal 2002 and 33 in fiscal 1999.

"Deploying a strong and capable force watching over the border is
imperative," Mr. Shumer said in a press release. "Local DEA officials
have told us they can use the help, and that's usually a pretty good
indication. New we need to heed their call and do something about it.

In addiction to handling drug cases, the DEA is a key part of the
nation's anti-terror plan, Mr. Schumer said. The federal government
has assigned it the task helping to stop would-be terrorists from
crossing the borders.

Ms. Tandy, who was expected to be confirmed Thursday night or today,
is currently associated deputy attorney general.