Pubdate: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 Source: Item, The (SC) Copyright: 2000 The Item Contact: http://www.theitem.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1105 Author: Ian Leslie AUTHORITIES RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR EFFORTS AGAINST DRUGS MANNING - Find the drugs and you will find out who is committing the crimes. That is the motto and attitude Manning Police Chief Randy Garrett said he tries to instill in his officers. "That's my pet peeve," Garrett said of his war on drugs. "The biggest reason I stress working hard on that is because if you work on who has the drugs, you're going to find out who is doing your other crimes." Recently one of Garrett's officers, Thomas O. Ham, was included in a group of Clarendon County law enforcement officers who were honored by the Clarendon Behavioral Health Services for making the most alcohol- and drug-related arrests in the county. Ham, who had the most alcohol- and drug-related arrests of any Manning police officer last year, had among those, a seizure of 5 pounds of marijuana. Ann Kirven, the executive director of Clarendon Behavioral and Health Services, said it is important to recognize the officers who make the routine traffic stops that can turn into large drug busts. "What they do is very important, and that's one reason we recognize them," she said. "We've been doing this for 10 or 15 years because we think they have a pretty much thankless job." Clarendon Behavioral and Health Services, formerly known as the Clarendon County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, has been recognizing local law enforcement agencies for their efforts since 1982. Garrett said he is proud of his officers and is lucky to have a staff that actively helps in his quest to rid the city of all drug- and alcohol-related problems. "That's something that (city) council, when they hired me, told me they wanted me to stay on top of - the drug problem and alcohol problem," he said. "I'm thankful I've got guys here that help me undertake the initiative for that goal." Garrett said part of the reason his officers work so hard for him is because they know he practices what he preaches - first as a Clarendon County sheriff's deputy and now as Manning police chief. In 1993, Garrett, then a member of the Clarendon County Sheriff's Department, was presented with the J. Stannard Baker Award from the National Sheriff's Association. The award is given to the law officer who has provided the most significant contributions to the field of traffic safety in the United States during that year. But years before he was honored nationally, Garrett was responsible for making some important traffic stops in Clarendon County. In December 1991, he stopped a car with Canadian plates on Interstate 95. The car, traveling from Miami to Canada, was carrying 7 kilograms of cocaine. The cocaine, which had a purity of 97 percent, could have been cut three times and made into crack cocaine with a street value of $2 million. Garrett said many crimes can be averted if officers learn to make the right traffic stops. "Criminals don't walk to work," he said. "They drive." (SIDEBAR) OFFICERS HONORED Officer Thomas O. Ham - Manning Police Department Sr. Trooper J.P. Dubose - South Carolina Highway Patrol Pfc. Clarence E. Conyers - Summerton Police Department Lt. David Jones - Turbeville Police Department Deputy Darren Wilson - Clarendon County Sheriff's Department Buck Sgt. Timothy W. Beasley - State Department of Natural Resources - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart