MELTON NAMED TO HEAD MISSISSIPPI NARCOTICS BUREAU

JACKSON (AP) -- Frank Melton, the former chief executive officer of Jackson
television station WLBT, was named Wednesday as the new director of the
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Melton, picked by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, replaces Don Strange Jr., who
announced his resignation last month.

Melton, a board member of the Liberty Corporation, which owns TV3, has been
active in promoting anti-drug programs and in efforts to get children off
the streets.

Dennis Wood, assistant director of special operations at the Mississippi
Bureau of Narcotics, had served as interim director of the agency.

Melton, 53, still needs to be confirmed by the Senate but he can begin
working immediately, a spokesman for Musgrove said.

Melton, who confirmed during a news conference that he has no law
enforcement experience, said leadership was the most important quality he
brought to the table.

"I've been in TV for 27 years running the company but that doesn't mean I
can do what you guys do," Melton told reporters said when pressed about the
experience issue.

Mississippi law does not require the head of the narcotics bureau to have
law enforcement experience, according to Jonathan Compretta, special
assistant attorney general. State code says the director must be a citizen
of the state and complete a course of study at a school operated by the
U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

"I would like to be measured by the number of people we are able to help,"
said Melton, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin University in Texas. Musgrove
said he considered Melton "the right guy for the job. Part of leadership is
having a passion to make a difference."

Musgrove said he selected Melton because he was looking for three qualities
in his new director -- management skills, an understanding of the
legislative process and an ability to work with law enforcement.

The new director said he plans to meet with field agents before discussing
the direction he would be taking with the drug enforcement agency.

Strange, 55, cited a lack of funding for his agency in announcing his
retirement.

A former chief of intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration,
Strange said at the time that he was offered a job as the director of the
Air Marshal Service in Atlanta for the new Department of Homeland Security,
but had not officially accepted it.