NEW DRUG TASK FORCE SEEKS AREA SUPPORT

Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber has named veteran officer Capt. Matt
Karl as the director of the department's new Hancock County Narcotics Division.

Karl, who has been in law enforcement over 25 years, began his career with
a two-year stint as a confidential informant for the city of New Orleans.

He joined the Hancock County Sheriff's Department as a deputy under Sheriff
Sylvan J. Ladner, then moved to the Bay St. Louis Police Department as an
investigator with Chief Douglas Williams for more than two years. He
returned to the Sheriff's Department in 1984 with Ronnie Peterson as
sheriff, first as a deputy then as an investigator and also worked three
years with the Hancock County Multi-Drug Task Force before returning as a
sheriff's investigator. Karl has also served as the SWAT commander.

The new Narcotics Division began Jan. 1, 2002 with the breakup with of the
Multi-Drug Task Force at the end of 2001.

The new division is composed of a total of six agents, one being from the
Mississippi National Guard, and a secretary.

In an interview Tuesday, Karl said, "Our main goal is to curb drugs in the
county, and we want to make a visible impact on drug activity in the
county. We work for the people of Hancock County, and I want them to know
that we work to serve and protect them.

"We want to be visible and available to the residents and will concentrate
our efforts in the rural areas of the county. On the other hand, if
something we are working on has connections in the Bay-Waveland area, we
will work with the Bay-Waveland Police Department's Drug Task Force. I
really appreciate the opportunity given me by Sheriff Garber to lead this
new division. You know, in order for this Narcotics Division to be
successful, we will need the support of the residents. We need citizen
input, and that involves community leaders all the way down to the man on
the street. Our division's telephone number is 467-1496. Any information on
possible drug activities, and I do not care how small it may be, we want to
know about it. We will look into it and investigate. Please be advised, any
information past on to our Narcotics Division will be kept confidential.

"As an example, we received a tip on some possible activity in an area
since our group was formed from a concerned citizen about possible drug
activities in their neighborhood. We could not find any activity, but we
will keep the information in our files just in case drug activity may erupt
there again.

"Recent news articles talk about some possible drug problems in our
schools. The Narcotics Division will work with our school superintendent
and board and do anything within the law and guidelines to work to
eliminate drug problems in our educational facilities, if they exist.

"The Narcotics Division is here also to inform the general public about
drugs. If there are any questions about what to look for in drug
activities, do not hesitate to give me at call at the division's office at
467-1496. If I am not in, our secretary will pass on the information. The
office's regulars hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

"I am sure residents realize that our agents do work around the clock,
seven days a week. There is an agent on call at all times.

"There are times when drug activities may be happening in an area, and
information gathered may not warrant arrests. We will continue to pursue
every possible means to rid the area's problem, even if the suspects have
to pack up and move.

"Working drugs is not like working other crimes. It takes lots of efforts
to gather necessary information. In today's world, things are so
sophisticated, no matter the training and equipment our agents have, we do
have intelligence information from the community and a desire from them to
have drug problems eliminated.

"Drugs have been a problem for so many years. We may never eliminate all of
them, but the ones we cannot eliminate, we can sure control."