ARKANSAS POLICE GET ARREST MONEY

The Arkansas State Police have been awarded $166,480.70 by the Department
of Justice. The money came form a portion of assets seized during the
course of a two-year narcotics investigation.

The investigation began with the purchase of one gram of methamphetamine
during an undercover operation in Carroll County, and eventually led
federal agents on a trail of arrests through Arkansas, Georgia and Texas.
During the Arkansas investigation, the state police arrested three
individuals, and retrieved more than 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine, a small
amount of marijuana, cash, vehicles and weapons.

Federal and state statutes allow law enforcement agencies to seize certain
assets during the course of narcotics investigations. Upon the final
adjudication of criminal charges, the courts are permitted to review the
inventory of assets and distribute funds to the agencies that actively
participated in the investigation.

Colonel Don Melton said the majority of the money will be used to purchase
equipment needed for new troopers that the agency hopes to hire in 2003, as
well as equipment for the troopers working now.

"There are significant expenses associated with equipping new troopers," he
said, "and this can also be used to offset the expenses of putting
additional troopers on the highway."

"For every new trooper hired, you have to have a car," said Arkansas State
Police Director Bill Sadler. "We have to have a gun, a shotgun, first aid
kits and everything else that a trooper has when they roll up on a scene."

"This couldn't have come at a better time," Melton said.