HEARING WILL HIGHLIGHT FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

KITTANNING -- The war on drugs is not just a matter of getting more
police and more police-related equipment. It is a matter of listening
to law enforcement officials, prevention and treatment specialists
and prosecutors, and passing the right laws, said state Rep. Jeff
Pyle, R-Ford City.

Pyle, who leads the House Task Force on Drugs and Law Enforcement,
will host a Drugs and Law Enforcement Hearing at 11 a.m. Thursday at
the Kittanning Country Club, 215 Belltop Drive, Kittanning.

Pyle said the purpose of the meeting is to gather first-hand
information from the people who are "in the trenches," fighting the
war on drugs and pass their information on, "undiluted," to House members.

The House Task Force held a hearing Feb. 20 in Williamsport and heard
testimony from top criminal experts, prosecutors and law enforcement
officials that painted a bleak picture for Pennsylvania, Pyle said.
Testimony focused on how trafficking and drug use are putting a
strain on law enforcement agencies and the court system.

The hearing will include testimony from Armstrong County Common Pleas
Judge Joseph Nickleach and Common Pleas Judge Gregory Olsen of
Indiana County, and District Judges Samuel Goldstrohm and Guy Haberl.
Officials from the state police, various municipal police departments
and the Armstrong County Drug Task Force will provide testimony.
District attorneys in both Armstrong and Indiana counties will
testify about how their offices deal with drug traffickers.

Prevention and treatment specialists Key Owen of ARC Manor, a
drug-and-alcohol recovery and treatment center in Kittanning, and
Norma Norris, of Butler, will also address the hearing. The meeting
is open to the public.

"We cannot turn our backs on this problem," Pyle said. "We need to
tackle this head-on or things will only get worse."