Pubdate: Thu, 25 Apr 2002
Source: Morning Call (PA)
Copyright: 2002 The Morning Call Inc.
Contact:  http://www.mcall.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/275
Author: Keith Herbert

ALLENTOWN TO GET DRUG ENFORCEMENT PILOT PROGRAM

City Is One Of Only Three Chosen For A New Federal
Initiative

A new U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration initiative that seeks to
weed out drug dealers and curb demand for drugs is planned for
Allentown, one of only three U.S. cities chosen for the pilot program.

Mayor Roy Afflerbach said Wednesday that the DEA's Integrated Drug
Enforcement Assistance program will be in Allentown later this year.
Planning to bring the IDEA program to the city has been ongoing since
January, the mayor said.

Some federal funding will be coming into the city with the program,
but it's too soon to know how much or when, Afflerbach said.

The pilot program also will operate in North Charleston, S.C., and
Portsmouth, Va., cities of similar size to Allentown dealing with drug
problems, said Stephen Kuhn, Allentown's police chief.

''It's the first time the federal government has got into a program
this comprehensive,'' Kuhn said.

IDEA will be important for Allentown because it will allow police to
follow up ''street-level interdiction'' with intelligence gathering,
crime analysis and social outreach, Kuhn said.

Community meetings are planned in targeted neighborhoods to get
residents' input on how local police and federal agents can reduce
drugs in their neighborhoods.

In July, the auditorium of Sacred Heart Hospital will be the setting
for a two-day conference on attacking illicit drugs from the ''demand
reduction side.''

The forum will focus on how local organizations working on the drug
issue can better coordinate their efforts, Afflerbach said.

''One of the things I had to do as mayor was convince the Department
of Justice that we were committed'' to reducing the demand for drugs
in the city, Afflerbach said.

At least 250 people from local agencies have been invited to attend
the forum, he said.

DEA official Frank Pepper has been assigned to Allentown as program
coordinator. Pepper was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Afflerbach said participation in the DEA's program won't hamper the
city's efforts to obtain help from Pennsylvania's Weed and Seed
program, which funnels money to cities to foster community policing,
development, social services and drug prevention.

The city is applying for the Weed and Seed program, Afflerbach
said.

The mayor credited Lehigh County District Attorney James B. Martin and
U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan with helping to bring the program to
Allentown.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens