Pubdate: Wed, 15 May 2002 Source: Montgomery Advertiser (AL) Copyright: 2002sThe Advertiser Co. Contact: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1088 Author: Neil Probst REWARD OFFERED IN DRUG WAR The Montgomery Police Department wants help in battling drug trafficking in the city. Starting Monday, Mayor Bobby Bright has authorized the city to offer a standing $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any major drug dealer in Montgomery. "If you look at a large majority of the murders, assaults, thefts and other crimes like that, you find that the underlying cause is going to be drug-related," said Lt. Huey Thornton, spokesman for the Montgomery Police Department. Along with offering the monetary award, the department requests active involvement from interested participants, who will serve with undercover narcotics detectives. Still, Thornton said participating in a drug deal is a last resort and that informants already have safely aided the department. "Any time we deal with informants, it's a controlled situation," he said. He also added that if a participant becomes uncomfortable, he or she is always free to choose not to participate. In Montgomery last year, the Police Department dealt with hundreds of drug cases. The department recorded totals of 131 reports of felony distribution of controlled substances, 216 reports of felony possession, and 267 reports of misdemeanor possession. The most abundantly used controlled substance, according to the department's annual report, is marijuana, followed by crack cocaine. Anyone interested in taking part in the program should contact the department's Narcotics Bureau at 241-4700. The department's detective division commander will determine if a case is large enough to merit the presentation of a reward. - --- MAP posted-by: Ariel