U.S. DRUG WAR AS IMPORTANT AS ANTI-TERRORISM FIGHT

I retired after 37 years in Treasury law enforcement. I was a federal
narcotic agent and U.S. Customs special agent. I was the assistant
commissioner for investigations with Customs for 12 years.

I always have supported a merger of agencies working on our border. I have
two concerns: First, that because of jurisdictional and political turf
wars, the agencies' professional career leaders will not be consulted. They
can best address pragmatic operational concerns that must be considered to
make the new organization work; second, we should also focus simultaneously
on another national security problem -- major crimes on the streets of our
cities.

Terrorism is the first priority, but street crimes also could be addressed
by the same Cabinet-level reorganization. It's time to do both -- now.

Congress and successive administrations failed to react to crimes such as
as drug use, drug smuggling, narcoterrorism, money laundering, murders and
other violent crimes until disaster strikes. The World Trade Center
terrorist attack killed more than 2,800 people. The state of New York has
had as many as 2,605 murders in one year; Texas has had as many as 2,652
murders a year; California has had 4,096 murders in one year.

There were 227,171 murders in the country from 1990 to 2000; 13 million
people are victims of crime each year -- 1.5 million are victims of violent
crime. We have never really focused a realistic amount of manpower and
sustained resources on crime.

Our country's thousands of miles of air, land and sea borders are covered
by 20,000 Customs officers.

Our borders are like a sieve, as any federal agent or smuggler knows. We've
talked about the war on drugs, but haven't taken practical steps to stop
trafficking, including getting rid of the causes of drug use.

I was in Europe in the 1980s. Germany had 45,000 Customs officers, France
had 22,000 and England had 18,000. Compare those countries' relatively
small borders to the immense borders of the United States, covered by
20,000 officers.

Now we have terrorism to combat, and government wants to put thousands of
people and billions of dollars into our security, which I support.

But when are we going to really address removing illegal drugs and the
crime that they bring, making cities safe again?

What kind of disaster will it take to get serious?

G. CORCORAN JR.

Fort Lauderdale