NEW DRUG UNIT CHIEF NO LAWMAN

TV Station Exec Won't Take Salary

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove on Wednesday named a television station executive from
Jackson to lead the state Bureau of Narcotics.

Several South Mississippi police officials declined to comment on the
governor's choice of Frank Melton, whose appointment became effective
immediately. He fills a position vacated last month when Director Don
Strange Jr. resigned, citing repeated budget cuts.

Harrison County Sheriff George H. Payne Jr. was the only Coast official
willing to comment Wednesday about the governor's choice of someone who has
no formal training in law enforcement. Payne believes that if anyone can
make a positive difference in the agency, it's Melton.

However, Melton's lack of experience in law enforcement could be
detrimental to the bureau's mission, according to Stephen Mallory, a
25-year veteran of the bureau and chairman of the criminal justice
department at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Melton, 53, is perhaps best known in Hinds County, where he posted
billboard pictures of known drug pushers, held anti-drug programs and
volunteered for summer youth programs.

"Maybe his management skills and charismatic personality will overcome his
lack of expertise," Mallory said.

The governor, in a written statement, said the bureau "needs a director who
will see the bureau not for what it is, but for what it can become."

Melton will not receive a salary, said John Sewell, a spokesman for the
governor. "That shows you the level of his commitment," Sewell said.

State law doesn't require the head of the bureau to have a background in
law enforcement. However, the law requires that the director attend a
narcotics school run by the U.S. Justice Department.