Pubdate: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 Source: Sun Herald (MS) Copyright: 2004, The Sun Herald Contact: http://www.sunherald.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/432 Author: Robin Fitzgerald FOCUS ON DRUGS IS PAYING OFF IN L.B. LONG BEACH - Drug arrests the first three months this year increased sharply, nearly reaching the total number of drug arrests for 2003, according to Police Chief Harley Schinker. At the present rate, police could easily triple the number of drug arrests by year's end. The agency reports 78 drug arrests in the first quarter, compared to a total of 88 drug arrests in 2003 and 80 in 2002. Schinker said the dramatic increase is a result of beefed-up narcotics efforts in response to a public outcry. Though Long Beach is one of Harrison County's least populated cities, a Sun Herald analysis of fatal overdoses for 2003 shows the city had the highest per capita death rate from drugs in the county. Of nearly 40 fatal overdoses, seven were in Long Beach. Drug-related deaths claimed five lives countywide in 2004 from January through March. One of the deaths was in Long Beach. "Between our new narcotics team, patrol officers and school resource officers, I believe we're making a difference," said Schinker, who assumed the chief's post July 1, 2002. A study of the agency's arrest numbers for the first quarter comes as no surprise to residents who believe the city's youths are at risk. About 75 percent of the arrests involve ages 26 and younger. That includes the arrests of 15 between the ages of 13 and 17. The data also indicates that Long Beach teenagers and young adults who use illegal drugs or abuse controlled substances carry it with them in their vehicles. More than half the arrests were the results of traffic stops. The numbers also show that marijuana is the most common cause of a drug arrest, with a small percentage involving controlled substances. The Police Department created a narcotics unit with a drug-sniffing canine earlier this year and also assigned an officer to the Coastal Narcotics Enforcement Team, a countywide investigative effort. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin