MELTON TAKING UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACH

JACKSON (AP) - Bureau of Narcotics Director Frank Melton says he's trying
to change the culture of the state's drug agency, particularly in the way
agents treat people they search.

Melton, who has worked for years with at-risk children and teenagers, told
The Associated Press on Tuesday that he has instructed agents not to throw
young people to the ground while searching them.

"I'm not going to humiliate a 15- or 16-year-old like that because, you
know, all of us have children and one of the things we know (is) that in
their teenage years, the most important thing to them is their peer group,"
Melton said. "And you don't embarrass children in front of their peer group."

He said if a person being searched has a weapon, that's a different story -
agents are allowed to handle that as they see fit.

Melton spoke as part of AP's periodic series of meetings with state newsmakers.

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove tapped Melton, 52, to lead the Bureau of Narcotics in
December.

Melton, a former television executive known for his blunt editorials about
drugs and crime, had no law enforcement experience.

After the state Senate confirmed Melton Feb. 28, he completed Drug
Enforcement Agency training in Quantico, Va. Melton said Tuesday that he's
taking an unconventional approach to his job, giving some young drug users
a chance to straighten out their lives rather than face criminal charges.

"There's a big gap between what's legal and what's right," Melton said.

He said the illegal trade of methamphetamine, crack and other illegal drugs
has reached a crisis, putting lives in danger.

"I'm going to do what I think is in the best interest of the people of the
state of Mississippi, and if y'all get tired of that, get you somebody
else," he said.

Melton said that while young people trapped by drugs could get back on the
right path, those who sell illegal drugs can expect to be arrested and
prosecuted.

Melton said MBN agents are trying to help three or four Jackson teenagers
after they were caught with marijuana. He said some are graduating high
school seniors.

"I didn't put those kids in jail. I put them on Plan B," Melton said.

He said under "Plan B," MBN agents check on the young people at odd hours
to make sure they're attending school and are at home when they're supposed
to be.

"I've taken away the possibility of them having a criminal record at 17
years old trying to start their lives off," Melton said.

"Now, I have told the kids - and this is not legal but I'm going to
continue to do it - that if they don't finish high school, that if they're
not enrolled in somebody's college in August, I will pull those charges
back up and I will prosecute them," he said. "But what I'm doing right now
is using all the leverage I can use to make them do the right thing, and
thank God they're responding in a positive way."

In a separate interview later, a member of the state Senate Judiciary
Committee said Melton needs to abide by state laws.

"While I support any unconventional means that will help stamp out the drug
problem, I do expect our bureau chief to be legal and to follow the law,"
said Sen. Robert Chamberlin, R-Hernando.

Melton also said Tuesday that he wants to use flexibility that legislators
gave him in the bureau's budget to give pay raises to some agents in the
fiscal year that begins July 1.

He said the starting salary for narcotics agents is about $25,800, and he
wants to raise that to $28,000 so it will be comparable to the salaries for
starting officers at the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol. New state
troopers are paid $27,334, said patrol spokesman Warren Strain.

Melton said MBN was 41 agents short when he started work in December, and
another 11 have been called up for active military duty.

Because the agency has too little money to hire new agents, he said he
wants to improve working conditions - including salaries - for those
already on the job.