JOINT DRUG TASK FORCE OFFERS INTRIGUING POSSIBILITIES

Among the many positives to arise from last year's study circles forums on
law enforcement is an increased effort to improve collaboration between the
Daviess County Sheriff's Department and the Owensboro Police Department.

Representatives from both departments are part of a 15-person task force
considering a number of ideas, including a compatible 911 dispatch system
and programs to make neighborhoods safer.

Of all the ideas being studied, however, the one that makes the most sense
- -- and offers the most intriguing possibilities -- is that of a local drug
task force.

The need for such a group clearly exists. The burgeoning drug problem
locally has been well documented, and despite their best efforts, law
enforcement officials admit they are basically treading water in the fight.

Officers from the sheriff's department and OPD often share information
about drug cases, and this type of cooperation has increased since John
Kazlauskas took over as the city's police chief. Yet their cooperation
can't match what a joint city-county drug task force would provide in terms
of maximizing the limited resources and manpower available.

One need only look to surrounding counties to see the impact that the
Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force has had in combating the drug problem. That
multicounty agency conducts independent investigations and provides support
to local agencies, particularly in their efforts to stop the production and
distribution of methamphetamine. Daviess County, however, doesn't have a
multicounty or multiagency drug task force.

Its impact on the streets, however, would be just one benefit of the drug
task force. The benefits would extend to breaking down barriers that have
long existed not only in law enforcement, but throughout government agencies.

Without placing blame on any individual or group, it's fair to say that
turf protection and issues of control are the primary reasons collaboration
hasn't always been where it should be. If a drug task force, which would
likely be a relatively small operation, is successful, it could serve as
the foundation for more ambitious collaborations down the road.

Though money is certainly a major barrier, other issues holding up
consolidated 911 -- power and control -- are not unlike those that would be
addressed, and likely resolved, through a joint drug task force.

The more those territorial lines are erased, the easier it will become to
centralize emergency dispatch services and do some of the other cooperative
efforts that have been discussed. That would seem to accomplish the primary
goal of study circles -- bringing the public and law enforcement together
in a partnership to ensure a stronger community.