Pubdate: Thu, 16 Jan 2003
Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
Copyright: 2003 The Star-Journal Publishing Corp.
Contact:  http://www.chieftain.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613
Author: Gayle Perez, The Pueblo Chieftain

DEA TO ASSIST PUEBLO IN FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

PUEBLO -- like most every other city in America - has a drug problem.

And like many other cities, Pueblo is constantly looking at ways to combat 
the issue.

Community groups, schools and law enforcement agencies are constantly 
seeking new and effective ways to deal with and attempt to wipe out drug 
use in the community.

Now, the city will receive additional assistance in dealing with the drug 
issue as it becomes part of a nationwide pilot program - Integrated Drug 
Enforcement Assistance (IDEA) - offered through the Drug Enforcement 
Administration.

The IDEA program, which already is in place in five communities across the 
country, allows for the DEA to take one of its agents out of the field and 
assign them to a select community.

The agent works with the community to form a coalition that will engage in 
fighting the war against drugs.

"Pueblo is the type of community we want to bring this program to because 
of the strong support we have received from the chief of police, the 
chambers of commerce and other community groups," said Kenneth Miller, the 
DEA's special agent assigned to work with the community.

Miller, who works out of the DEA's Colorado Springs office, will launch the 
project in Pueblo with a two-day, invitation-only summit to be held in late 
February. The National Crime Prevention Council also will assist in the 
project.

The summit will bring together community groups and organizations as well 
as law enforcement representatives to come up with a strategy to reduce 
drug use in the city.

Miller, who is actively recruiting individuals to attend the summit, said 
the intent is to bring together people already working on solutions to 
decreasing the drug problem in Pueblo.

"The goal is to bring them all together at one time to work together as a 
community to come up with solutions to try and reduce the drug problem in 
Pueblo," he said.

Miller said the DEA and National Crime Prevention Council also will help 
the community to apply for grants available to assist in anti-drug initiatives.

"One of the benefits of the program is that once a community comes up with 
solutions, myself and the NCPC will try to find funding out there that the 
city of Pueblo can apply for," he said.

Miller said Pueblo was chosen for the pilot project because of the solid 
working relationship between the DEA and Pueblo Police Chief Jim Billings.

"It wasn't brought to Pueblo because the drug problem here was any worse 
than others," Miller said. "Every community has a drug problem to some 
degree. "

Instead, Miller said, Billings expressed an interest in the program and 
Pueblo fit the model in what the DEA was looking for in pilot communities.

"Pueblo was the kind of community that met the profile we were looking 
for," Miller said. "We can't bring it to a really big city. The way the 
program is effective is in communities similar in size to Pueblo."

Communities that have already implemented the program are Allentown, Pa.; 
North Charleston, S.C.; Portsmouth, Va.; Springfield, Mo. and 
Mobile/Pritchard, Ala.

Allentown, Pa.; North Charleston, S.C.; Portsmouth, Va.; Springfield, Mo. 
and Mobile/Pritchard, Ala.