SHREVEPORT DRUG TIP HOT LINE GENERATES CALLS

More than 60 citizens' tips about drug activity in Shreveport have been
received by a special hot line established by police in late September.

The information from callers has led to a handful of arrests so far. But
Shreveport police plan to step up investigations into tips to 673-RAPS
(7277) beginning this month.

RAPS is short for Residents Against Pushers. Callers to the line can remain
anonymous.

"We plan to follow up on some of these tips really hard in the beginning of
the new year (2002)," said Lt. Steve Floyd, executive officer of Shreveport
police's Office of Special Investigations (OSI). "We think the tip line has
already proven itself to be a useful tool."

OSI personnel man the hot line between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
Residents can also leave messages on the line during nights and weekends.
If they wish, callers can leave their name and telephone number for an
agent to contact them.

Tips haven't been looked into as aggressively as they will be due in part
to the year-end 2001 holiday season and vacations of police personnel,
Floyd said.

The 60-plus tips received from callers are out of a total of more than 100
calls made to the hot line. But - as police expected - about 40 percent of
the calls have been crank calls where no legitimate information has been
provided.

More often, though, callers have provided such useful information as the
location of drug activity and descriptions or names of the people involved,
Floyd said. Police preferred not to be disclose detailed information about
the tips.

"I think the hot line is working out well. If nothing else, it provides
citizens with a central location to call to report drug activity in their
neighborhoods," said OSI commander Capt. Tommy Shoemake.