Pubdate: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 Source: Tennessean, The (TN) Copyright: 2003 The Tennessean Contact: http://www.tennessean.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447 GIVE POLICE THE RESOURCES An Effective Recent Crackdown On Drugs By Metro Police Is A Reminder Of Two Important Principles. One is that pooling available resources and emphasizing cooperation between divisions on the force can produce meaningful results. The other is that police need adequate resources to do their jobs. When police saw a spate of shootings erupt in the heat of the summer, acting Chief Deborah Faulkner formed a departmental task force with people from several divisions. The idea was to put out a full-force blitz on street-level drug deals and stamp out the violence that often comes with them. Since Faulkner launched that task force, most of the shootings stopped. As of early this week, it had been more than a month since the city has had a drug-related killing. The arrests, gun seizures and confiscation of cocaine and marijuana proved that the creation of a very visible presence is a deterrent to drug dealers. Metro's own undercover police officers reported difficulty finding drug deals. They heard bad guys talking about how effective the crackdown had been. Dealers were complaining, "Man, it's too hot. Vice is out here." That's the good part. But as successful as the crackdown became, it also came with the reality that a concentration of police on one front often creates a weakness elsewhere. It takes away from other areas of enforcement, such as burglary and theft. The smart convergence of personnel and strategy paid off. But such good police work comes at a price. The city should consider such conditions when faced with decisions on providing law enforcement with the resources it needs. Taxpayers often want proof that if they provide resources - whether it be officers, cop cars or computers - that there will be positive results. Recent events suggest there will be positive results. The resources to make that happen are essential. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom