NEW TEAM IN DRUG FIGHT

For years, Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. has criticized the
county-run Chatham-Savannah Narcotics Team for not doing enough to
get street-level drug dealers off the streets, particularly in the
inner city. Mr. Adams' frustrations are understandable. He is
speaking for many law-abiding constituents who live in neighborhoods
where the drug crowd operates, and people whose homes and lives could
be in jeopardy.

Unfortunately, the mayor's proposed response of the past --
withdrawing the city's support of the CNT and making the Savannah
Police Department the primary drug enforcer in the city -- is a
short-sighted and ultimately ineffective approach.

Simply locking up street dealers isn't the answer. For every 19- or
20-year-old pusher who gets busted, two or three others are ready to
take his place. You don't kill a snake by chopping off a little piece
of its tail. You go for the head.

How to best use limited public resources to battle drug-related crime
will always be debated. Measuring the effectiveness of various
approaches is difficult as well. But fortunately, it appears Savannah
and Chatham County police officials have resolved -- at least for now
- -- the ongoing political dispute about drug enforcement within the
city.

Essentially, the city and CNT are teaming up.

Last week, during a press conference to announce the results of a
major drug bust, CNT Commander Steve Smith and Savannah Police Maj.
Willie Lovett outlined new marching orders for the two units.

Capt. Smith said his unit, which draws manpower from several local
police departments and is funded by Chatham County, will focus most
of its energies on nabbing mid-to upper-level drug suppliers and
distributors. Maj. Lovett said a special team of Savannah police
officers, funded by the city, will zero in on dealers who are at the
bottom of the pecking order, but who tend to be the most visible --
those who sell crack, marijuana and other illegal drugs on street
corners.

The proposal, which hits both the wholesale and retail levels of the
drug trade, makes considerable sense.

City police officers who routinely patrol the streets in their
precincts should be familiar with what is going on. They might not be
able to catch dealers in the act of committing a crime. However,
simply by their presence, they can disrupt the marketplace and make
routine transactions between buyers and sellers difficult.

But that's not all. If an officer has to take a suspected dealer to
police headquarters for questioning for a few hours, or has to see if
he's carrying an illegal firearm or is wanted for parole or probation
violations, then drug traffickers will be on notice that Savannah
police mean business.

The CNT, meanwhile, would be free to concentrate on those behind the
scenes who supply the street dealers. Hitting the supply lines is
critical if authorities want to make an impact. But such
investigations are typically time consuming and expensive.

A case in point in last week's drug bust -- one of Savannah's largest
in recent years.

Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, CNT agents
and city police officers spent more than three months on an
investigation that culminated in the arrests of 35 people who were
suspected of selling crack, Ecstasy, LSD and cocaine. They also
seized about $200,000 worth of drugs.

Bennie Maestas, resident agent in charge of Savannah's DEA office,
said the city's drug-related murders, shootings, home invasions and
robberies prompted the investigation -- proof that drug use is not a
victimless crime.

The biggest question facing the CNT and Savannah police is how the
two agencies will work together. Drug investigations typically
succeed, or fail, based on information and trust. Also, care must be
taken so that any cases worked by the two agencies are complementary,
not at cross purposes.

Neighborhood activists such as Kenneth Dunham, president of the West
Savannah Community Organization, probably don't care about the
politics. They want results. You can't blame them.

This latest partnership between police agencies, along with the
county's newly organized drug court that is aimed at the demand side
of the drug equation, should help.