COUNTY, RIDGELAND SHARE DRUG MONEY

RIDGELAND -- Jasper County Sheriff Ben Riley and Ridgeland police Chief
Richard Woods likely will meet soon to discuss whether the two entities
will continue splitting drug seizure money. Former Chief Rick Zareva and
Riley had an agreement in which each drug-related bust that involved cash
would be shared with the other's department.

Under the agreement, Ridgeland gave the county 30 percent of money they
seized after the Drug Enforcement Administration's 20 percent cut.
Likewise, the county gave Ridgeland 30 percent of its proceeds, despite
where the raid occurred or if Ridgeland played a role in the seizure. In
seizures that involved a joint effort, money was split down the middle.

Under Zareva's arrangement, the $22,000 that Ridgeland police seized from
an I-95 drug bust Sept. 2 would be broken down to $12,320 for Ridgeland,
$5,280 for Jasper County, and $4,400 for the DEA.

On Jan. 31, 2001, Ridgeland police deposited $4,050 into Jasper County's
drug fund, which was 30 percent of the proceeds from drug-related seizures,
said county treasurer Brenda Horton. On April 23, Ridgeland made another
deposit of $5,862. The accounts are funded solely from money in
drug-related seizures.

Zareva, who left his post June 21, said the "mutual sharing agreement" for
the most part evened out.

"It all comes down to laundry," he said. "The Sheriff's Office is going to
get some sometimes, and then we won't, and vice-versa. It's all equitable
sharing among the law enforcement agencies."

But Woods, who began last month as Ridgeland's chief, already has
reorganized the force's shifts around a strong desire to seize greater
amounts of drugs and money off the interstate. In the future, he said he
may add a second officer to patrol I-95 and a second drug-sniffing dog to
the force.

Ridgeland has made four drug and money seizures from the interstate this
year; Jasper County hasn't made any. And Jasper County's drug account, at
$10,838, is made up almost entirely of deposits from Ridgeland.

Riley has acknowledged that his department cannot keep up with a county
growing faster than his department.

"We just haven't got lucky yet, and one day we'll get lucky and do the same
thing E local police have done," he said.

Riley would not discuss the deal he had with Zareva. He did say, though,
that seized money would be split with Ridgeland if it was a joint effort.
"By themselves, I won't be looking for a part of that."