'We work year-round,' said lieutenant

MID-WINTER POLICE DRUG SWEEP ENDS WITH 34 PEOPLE INDICTED SNEAKS UP ON 34
INDICTMENTS

The element of surprise during the 5 p.m. roundup worked in the Roanoke
Police Department's favor.

First, the Roanoke Police Department's annual summertime drug sweep was
pushed up several months.

The idea was to catch pushers and buyers off guard, police said when the
operation ended in April 2000.

Last year, a sweep wasn't done at all. Instead, drug indictments were
spread throughout the year.

This year, the sweep is back.

Monday, a Roanoke grand jury indicted 34 people, charging them with 53
drug-related crimes ranging from drug dealing to contributing to the
delinquency of minors. About 5 p.m., police began rounding up suspects,
capping a six-month operation that detectives dubbed Operation Smack.

Smack is a drug term used on the streets, explained Lt. R.A. Bower, who
heads the department's vice unit. Also, the operation ended shortly before
Valentine's Day. "Kiss 'em goodbye," Bower joked.

Designed to cut into Roanoke's drug trade by reducing the amount of drugs
on the street, Bower called the operation a success.

The indictments included charges for possessing and distributing drugs,
particularly crack and powder cocaine, heroin and marijuana. More than half
of the indictments were served Monday night, all without incident, Bower said.

The fact that the sweep came in midwinter presented an element of surprise,
Bower said. The operation also didn't target a specific area of the city -
it went "all over," he said.

Police don't want drug dealers to expect an annual sweep, but rather to
never know when police are working undercover, Bower said. And maybe that
will keep them from dealing.

"Our message is: We work year-round," Bower said.

Operation Smack - which netted charges against half as many people as the
2000 operation - focused on individuals identified by neighborhood watch
groups and other citizens and anonymous tips. Bower said the information
from community members was "crucial."

"That's where we all get started," said Bower, who also offered a word of
thanks for all the tips received. "Without it, we couldn't function."

Neil Horn, an assistant Roanoke commonwealth's attorney who prosecutes drug
cases, echoed Bower's comments.

Neighborhood watches and other residents are the "first step" in law
enforcement, he said. Police don't see everything, and the information
citizens provide helps investigators focus their attention.

Bower said he wants the public to continue to call in tips about suspected
drug activity. That way, police can work on the next operation - whenever
that might be.

"The work never stops," Bower said. "Of course, we're working on the next
one, and the next one after that. As long as it's out there, we'll be working."

Staff writer TAD DICKENS contributed to this report.