Pubdate: Sun, 26 Mar 2006
Source: Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune (WI)
Copyright: 2006 The Daily Tribune
Contact: 
http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/contact/forms/editor_letter.shtml
Website: http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1609
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)

BACK UP DRUG BUSTS WITH STATS

A drug bust in Auburndale on Feb. 22 nets $30,000 worth of marijuana
and $4,000 in cash and leads to four arrests for the Wood County
Sheriff's Department and Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force.

On Feb. 25, the Portage County Sheriff's Department Special Response
Team seizes $15,000 worth of marijuana and $1,800 in cash in the town
of Grant. Two men and a woman are arrested.

The following Friday, March 3, three more drug busts in the Wisconsin
Rapids area lead to eight arrests and the confiscation of a small
amount of drugs and paraphernalia.

It's not necessarily coincidental that more drug busts seem to be
happening in central Wisconsin. Wood County Sheriff Thomas Reichert
attributes it more to the focus of his department on youth issues and
the work of the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force.

"Take Back Our Youth" is an initiative Reichert introduced when he
became sheriff. His background is in the juvenile side of law
enforcement, and he saw how drugs and family issues had a big impact
on everyone in central Wisconsin. Drugs have a trickle-down effect in
society, he said. They affect children, how they do in school, family
relationships.

"I made it our objective to do whatever we could as a sheriff's
department to make these things better. That was really what our 'Take
Back Our Youth' initiative was," Reichert said.

One goal is to take out the people who are getting drugs into the
hands of young people, he said. "We've been successful. We've taken
out some big dealers in the Auburndale area."

What Reichert can't do is quantify the numbers. He can't say how many
busts have occurred compared with a year ago, for instance.

"We are probably having more than in the past, because we are really
focused on dealing with the local who is directly supplying our
children and creating problems for families in our community," he said.

Anecdotal evidence, while important, doesn't tell the whole story.
Data supporting an increase in drug busts would make the case that
much stronger. Beef up perception with proof that central Wisconsin is
becoming a better, safer place.

"I am very pleased with the way things are going. I think there's a
lot of drugs in our community, though, and I think these drugs are
affecting families, affecting individuals. We have a lot of work to
do. We're doing to continue to aggressively continue to investigate
drug cases," Reichert said.

"Our real goal in this is to make our little corner of the world
better. To this point I think we have, given the amounts and
seriousness of some of the cases," he said.

It's a good goal, and one that all law enforcement agencies -- all
community members -- should embrace.

Keep enforcing laws, eliminating illegal drugs and making our
communities better places for everyone, but let us know how we stack
up.

It's impossible to go forward if you don't know where you've been.
Give us details to show improvement. It will make seeing drug busts on
the front page much more satisfying when we know what it really means.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake