Pubdate: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 Source: Athens Banner-Herald (GA) Copyright: 2005 Athens Newspapers Inc Contact: http://www.onlineathens.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1535 RESIDENTS THE REAL HEROES IN DRUG BUST Photographs on the front page of the Athens Banner-Herald's July 8 edition showed law-enforcement officers rounding up some of the dozens of suspected crack cocaine dealers who, until the day before, had been plying their illegal trade on the streets of Athens-Clarke County. The efforts of the law-enforcement community in rounding up the alleged dealers shouldn't be diminished. It takes long hours and savvy investigative and undercover work to develop cases strong enough to convince a judge to issue warrants for several dozen people. But the work of another group of people also must be recognized as crucial in this effort to rid the community's streets of drug dealers. In the story accompanying the photographs of the round-up, Athens-Clarke County Police Lt. Mike Hunsinger, supervisor of the department's drug and vice unit, said, "This operation focused on street-level dealing of crack based on neighborhood complaints." In other words, people trying to live out peaceful, law-abiding lives saw the proliferation of crack dealers as a threat to their neighborhoods. And instead of hiding in their homes, peeking out from behind their blinds as their streets become havens for illicit activity, they stood up. Stood up and made their voices heard, to the extent that Athens-Clarke Police Chief Jack Lumpkin asked his drug and vice unit and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to get busy with an investigation. Five months later, the folks who raised their voices in pleas for help cleaning up their neighborhoods got the satisfaction of seeing police cruisers taking people to jail. Sixty-three people were rounded up Thursday, with additional arrests expected. Not a bad day's work for the cops, and not a bad result for the people brave enough to take a stand for themselves and their homes. Lumpkin, a longtime advocate of community-oriented policing, in which police actively solicit the involvement of the people they serve in fighting crime, is fond of quoting Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850) on that subject. Peel, an English politician who in 1829 established London's metropolitan police department, is credited with being the father of modern-day policing. He once said, "The people are the police and the police are the people." Last week's drug busts provide ample proof of the good that can come when the police and the people work together to address problems. As a result of the five-month operation, residents who went to the police now have good reason to believe law-enforcement officers can, and will, do more than occasionally ride by their homes. In turn, police officers now have reason to believe at least some citizens are behind them in their efforts to make the community safer and more livable. It would be naive to expect last week's round-up spells the end of crack cocaine dealing on Athens-Clarke's streets. But it has certainly put dealers on notice they're being watched, and that any fear harbored by residents is evaporating. That, as much as anything else, might help dissuade other people from getting involved in dealing drugs. And over time, with continued cooperation between residents and police officers, there is no limit to what can happen as people take steps, and see results, in the effort to make their neighborhoods safer. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth