Pubdate: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 Source: Paris News (TX) Copyright: 2006 Paris News Contact: http://www.theparisnews.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/997 RAMPING UP DRUG ENFORCEMENT IN THE AREA The Lamar County Attorney's Office currently has no pending cases involving methamphetamine labs. That's sounds like a good thing until it is understood that part of the reason for the lack of cases is a lack of drug enforcement in Paris and Lamar County in recent years. New laws making pseudoephedrine more difficult to obtain have discouraged some meth makers, but certainly not all. However, there hasn't been anyone to catch those who were not discouraged since funding for the Red River Valley Drug Task Force was taken away and Police Chief Karl Lewis had to put the Paris Police Department's entire Narcotics Division on patrol duty because of a prolonged manpower shortage. What is really sad is that the drug enforcement retreat came just as Paris and Lamar County were beginning to make a dent in the local drug trade. With the help of federal law enforcement agents and on their own, narcotics officers had taken down some major players and were beginning to get this community cleaned up. We're pleased to say that prosecutors with the Lamar County Attorney's Office are about to get a lot busier, not that they haven't had other criminal cases to prosecute. PPD's Narcotics Division officers are back on the streets and the proposed Felony Crime Unit, which replaces the drug task force, is expected to be mobilized this month. "I think the community will benefit from it because we will see a lot more drug cases dealt with again," Louis said. We think it is great for the community, too. In fact, it may be even better for Lamar County than the days of the drug task force. While PPD's Narcotics Division focuses on Paris, the Felony Crimes Unit will focus strictly on Lamar County, not a whole bunch of counties like the drug task force did. Illegal drug makers, distributors and users are going to feel the heat because officers won't be so spread so thin. And Felony Crime Unit officers won't be limited in their scope. The drug trade often leads to or is associated with other criminal elements, like gang activity, gun-running, burglary, theft and organized crime. The unit is designed to focus on all felony crime - -- the worst crimes against persons. We also see renewed cooperation with federal and state law enforcement agencies that are sure to put an even tighter squeeze on illegal drug makers and other criminals. For example, a $228,000 grant is making the Felony Crime Unit possible and the unit is working on a deal with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to crack down on gun-related cases. We agree with Lamar County Sheriff B.J. McCoy who predicts the Felony Crime Unit to be a "win-win situation for the citizens of Lamar County." Our expectations are high as the PPD's Narcotics Division ramps up and the Felony Crimes Unit gets ready to hit the streets. We appreciate the cooperation we see between city, county, state and federal law enforcement officers, and we look forward to the prosecution of more drug and drug-related felony crimes in Lamar County. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath