COURT KEEPS THE DOOR OPEN FOR TASK FORCE

SHERIFF Dick Busby assured the Crittenden County Quorum Court this week
there would be a high level of accountability from now on for the county's
drug task force, whose future may be in doubt. That's a promising
development in a situation that has become increasingly dicey. Already
operating under a cloud of suspicion because of their participation in a
controversial drug interdiction program on interstate highways, members of
the unit stopped two Quorum Court members in recent weeks. In one recent
case that had the appearance of intimidation, a drug task force member
cited a member of the court on a complaint of driving with a burned out
taillight.

The stop came a week after she had made a motion during a Quorum Court
meeting to disband the drug unit. Still, the court decided this week to
fund the task force at least through the end of July, provided Busby issues
written policies and procedures and a description of how the group's
effectiveness in combating illegal drug use will be evaluated.

"Anything you need or any report you want, I'll give it to you," Busby told
members of the Quorum Court, Crittenden County's legislature. "Just get
together and put it down on paper and tell me what you want. I'll give it
to you every month, or every day or every two weeks."

The Quorum Court is loath to disband the task force because of a growing
methamphetamine problem in the area. It is concerned, however, about a
federal investigation of the unit that has included an in-depth look at the
spending habits and lifestyles of a member and a former member.

The interdiction program, carried out by officers from Crittenden County
and West Memphis, has seized $5.4 million in cash from suspected drug
couriers in the past 2d years - more than half the amount seized statewide.

Drug interdiction efforts involve searching cars and trucks that are
stopped for traffic violations on interstate highways. Ostensibly the
searches are conducted to fight crime, but at least one officer has
acknowledged an understanding of the program as a means of raising revenue.

Some of that revenue might not have found its way past arresting officers.
Sting operations carried out by the FBI last year resulted in the firing of
three West Memphis police officers accused of violating policies on cash
seizures.

Worried about negative perceptions of Crittenden County because of the
program, Quorum Court members have sparred with Busby over the issue of
accountability. Last month seven Sheriff's Department employees were told
they would lose their jobs June 30 as a result of the court's 10-0 vote in
May to reduce funding for the task force from $488,811 to $210,000 midway
through the fiscal year. That amount was raised to $270,000 this week to
allow the unit to continue operating through the end of July, as the
oversight issues are resolved.

Oversight is and should be a major issue for a program that involves the
routine handling of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash taken from the
cars of suspected drug dealers. Interdiction and forfeiture of money and
other property can help break the backs of illicit drug operations. But
such programs are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, invite racial
profiling, and are a potential source of embarrassment for communities that
begin to rely on them as revenue sources.

For the protection of citizens and the reputations of honest police
officers who would never consider exploiting such efforts for personal
profit, drug interdiction programs must be subject to the highest degree of
procedural regularity and strict oversight.