STATE POLICE HELP IS WELCOME

HARTFORD -- A community activist, the Rev. Cornell Lewis, probably speaks
for most of Hartford in expressing gratitude for the state's offer of
police assistance to combat crime - specifically, to disrupt the drug trade.

Starting this week, state police will assign at least five patrol officers,
two sergeants and five or more plainclothes detectives to help boost police
visibility and take part in narcotics investigations. The anti-drug
officers come under the auspices of the state police Reclaim Our Cities and
Connecticut Youth program, which uses state and federal money to help
eliminate persistent crime problems in targeted neighborhoods. State Public
Safety Commissioner Arthur Spada suggested in July that the ROCCY program
might work well in the North End. The neighborhoods surrounding Park Street
should be on the list, too. "Considering the manpower shortage faced by the
city police department, the assistance from state police is welcome
indeed," said Mr. Lewis.

Indeed it is welcome.

Although the city may have experienced a recent calm spell with regard to
crime, only the starry-eyed would consider the problem of guns and drugs
permanently solved.

The more help the better. Hartford could well use a reputation of being a
safe, secure city. Because of budget constraints, the local police
department won't be getting back up to full strength any time soon.

Only the unions are squawking.

The city police union president points to a contract giveaway that says a
city officer must be assigned on overtime for every state trooper who works
in the city. The state union chief allowed as how he would "hate to see
anything being done to undermine the contract in Hartford." What's their
main priority, stacking up overtime or beating crime?

Mayor Eddie Perez notes that the provision will not apply to undercover
state police assistance. Good. The costly overtime provision should be
knocked out of the contract when it is renegotiated.