Pubdate: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 Source: Island Packet (SC) Copyright: 2001 The Island Packet Contact: http://www.islandpacket.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1514 Author: Carol Weir COUNTYWIDE TASK FORCE TO FIGHT DRUGS BLUFFTON -- By collaborating with other police departments in the county, Bluffton hopes to combat a growing drug problem that is a result of increased population, said police Chief John Brown. Brown met last week with Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner and the police chiefs of Port Royal, Beaufort and Yemassee to discuss forming a countywide drug task force. Coordinating efforts will allow law enforcement agencies to be more effective, Brown said. Dealers often live in one jurisdiction but sell drugs in another, or may move if police begin surveillance or making drug busts, said Tanner, who is heading the effort. "In Bluffton, we can do several months of investigation, put a bunch of people in jail, then it will start back up again in a different area," Tanner said. Bluffton, Port Royal and the city of Beaufort will contribute one officer each to the task force, Yemassee will dedicate a part-time position, and the Sheriff's Office will assign five deputies, Tanner said. Sheriff's Office Staff Sgt. Marvin Morrision, who is in charge of setting up the task force, will meet with Brown next week to begin working out the details, Tanner said. Bluffton established a one-man drug task force about six months ago when Cpl. Darrell Jackson was assigned to fight the town's drug problem, Brown said. Cpl. Patrick Blankenship divides his time between the drug task force and regular patrol. The Bluffton Police Department employs eight officers including Chief Brown. Drug crimes in Bluffton are investigated by surveillance from patrol cars and on foot, and the department is involved in several "larger, long-term investigations," Brown said. He declined to comment about other methods or drug hot spots in town, for fear of compromising ongoing investigations. Seventeen people were arrested for illegal drugs -- mostly marijuana and cocaine -- from June through September this year, compared to none in the same period last year, according to statistics on file at Town Hall. However, these numbers don't represent the real scope of the problem, Brown and local residents agree. Dubois Lane resident Alice Huggins said dealers who sell drugs on her street are plaguing the neighborhood. "They are hanging around selling and using, and when they see the police car they run," she said. Bluffton Town Councilman Oscar Frazier said although he hasn't seen transactions, he suspects people are selling drugs in his Guerrard Street neighborhood. "I go out and tell them I know what they are doing and to leave, and they do," Frazier said. Brown and Tanner say increased population growth is behind the rise in crime. In the last decade, the town of Bluffton grew nearly 73 percent, its population increasing from 738 in 1990 to 1,275 in 2000, according to U.S. Census numbers this year. With recent annexations, the town has grown from just over 600 acres to nearly 32,000 acres. The police department and the town's 4-month-old Public Safety Committee are trying to keep up. Last month, Brown hired a school resource officer for H.E. McCracken Middle School and a patrol officer to work nights. The Public Safety Committee is recruiting block captains to start a neighborhood watch program, and is seeking volunteer reserve officers to assist with festivals and patrols. Brown said he would like a Spanish-speaking reserve officer to help the police department deal with Bluffton's growing Hispanic population. He's also planning to ask Town Council to hire a part-time administrative assistant for his department and eventually another officer. In addition, the Sheriff's Office has requested three additional deputies for the Bluffton area and the area between the Broad River bridge, the New River bridge and the Karl S. Bowers Bridge to Hilton Head Island, to start in January. Four Sheriff's Office deputies now patrol the area during the day and two at night, Tanner said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake