RISING KCK DRUG SEIZURES COUNTER METRO TREND

While local police say city drug seizures have jumped this year, drug
confiscations area-wide may be down.

According to Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers' recent figures, drug
seizures by various police agencies dipped below $1 million during 11
months this year. Results from its Crime Tips, which get passed along to
law enforcement, however, may represent but a slice of the area's total
drug picture.

Here in Kansas City, Kan., "Our seizures are way up this year," said KCK
police Lt. Douglas Hansen of the department's vice and narcotics unit.
"We've seen a lot of crack, meth and some heroin."

Hansen also said unit officers have seen more people using club drugs like
Ecstasy this year.

Throughout the region, nearly half of the non-profit agency's estimated
4,600 tips logged this year involved complaints about illegal drugs, said
KC Missouri police Sgt. Craig Sarver, coordinator of crime stoppers.
Hotline operators pass on the tips to appropriate law officers.

This is the first year in a while that the sheer volume of tips have not
yielded record for combined recoveries of drugs and stolen property,
records show.

"For the last six years, this is first year we haven set a record high in
property and narcotics," he said. "This is the first year we haven't beat
the previous record."

The group, which is part the larger Crime Stoppers International, as of
November, recorded about $1.17 million in seizures of narcotics and stolen
property. That is short of last year's estimate total of $2.05 million, he
noted.

As of last month, total tips yielded $844,945 in narcotics, which is about
$157,000 less than 2000 drug seizures. Totals are based on nominal street
values, use by police. Sarver said. Coke or crack typically sells for about
$120 a gram, each, a gram of pot for $7.

But the coordinator stressed that this year's drop in the number of
separate, weighty scores doesn't convey a noteworthy trend, because
seizures depend on tips. And one good one can skew the whole picture. They
can come via the phone or e-mail.

A dozen police agencies participate in crime stoppers, its offices staffed
by volunteers and employees assigned from various departments, he noted.

Earlier this year, one worker passed a hotline tip to police about a
suspected drug operation in KCK. Eventually, local drug officers raided the
house near 20th and Quindaro streets, he said, and agents seized about
$55,000 in narcotics, and also two digital scales.

Surprisingly, the sergeant said, most of the 816-474-TIPS hotline callers
don't seek rewards for fruitful information.

"At least 95 percent are not interested in rewards," he said, noting that
some tipsters may just want justice. Someone dear a caller knows may have
been hurt by drugs, he remarked.

Still, if a complaint yields results, tipsters who can remain anonymous can
be eligible for a reward from $25 to $1,000.

Thus far this year, tipsters earned nearly $40,000 in rewards, the group
reported.