Pubdate: Thu, 22 May 2003 Source: Tampa Tribune (FL) Copyright: 2003, The Tribune Co. Contact: http://tampatrib.com/opinion/lettertotheeditor.htm Website: http://www.tampatrib.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/446 Note: Limit LTEs to 150 words TOWARD SAFER STREETS IN EAST TAMPA Mayor Pam Iorio said during her campaign that she wanted Tampa to be a more livable city. Her opponents accused her of not offering specifics, but last week she and Police Chief Bennie Holder began a very specific strategy for making east Tampa more livable: Operation Commitment, a hard crackdown on crime. ``There are 18 known drug holes in that community,'' said Iorio. ``That is unacceptable.'' In most parts of the city it would be, but in east Tampa even law- abiding citizens are often ambivalent about police efforts - they want drug dealers and prostitutes off the streets, but they know that it is no long-term solution to simply jail criminals without hope of changing the way these lawbreakers behave. That is why the city's multifaceted approach to the problem is promising. In addition to numerous drug and prostitution related arrests, drug counselors are accompanying police officers to offer services for addicts, and code enforcement is being stepped up. While many residents believe more jobs in the neighborhoods where open drug dealing is taking place would offer employment alternatives for those who sell narcotics, they need to realize that no investment occurs where such illegal activities are commonplace. At two different community meetings, east Tampa residents told Iorio and other city representatives they appreciated the effort to clean up their community but were also concerned that the results could be short-lived once Operation Commitment is scaled back. Holder assured them that his department's commitment would not end and that his officers would ``stay right on [drug dealers'] butts and keep chasing them.'' The ultimate goal of Operation Commitment is not simply to jail people and hand out code-violation citations. The goal is to change behavior so that people don't feel it is acceptable to openly sell and buy drugs, solicit prostitutes and discard trash in east Tampa. Only then will residents experience safer streets and see their community revitalized, which is why this energetic effort by Mayor Iorio and Chief Holder deserves the community's strong support. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh