Pubdate: Sun, 10 Jul 2005
Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (Huntington, WV)
Copyright: 2005 The Herald-Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.hdonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454
Author: Charles Carroll

LANDLORD GETS LITTLE HELP FROM POLICE TO FIGHT DRUGS

Tom Johnson, the U.S. attorney who has proposed to solve the drug
trafficking problem in our cities and states by seizing landlords'
properties, was born too late. He would have been right at home in Germany
1939, taking property and possessions from the Jews. I am a landlord who has
cooperated with the police on local, county, state and federal levels with
regard to drug activity for 25 years and have provided information,
sometimes at personal risk to myself and family.

Over these years, I consistently witnessed incompetence and corruption among
the police. Ten years ago, I rented a house to two Hispanic men. Within the
first few months, I had suspicions that they were involved in drug
trafficking. I searched the house while they were gone and found bags filled
with pot in bricks. I called the sheriff's department and was referred to
the drug task force where I left a recorded message.

After several messages and a week later, I was able to talk to an officer
who took my information. Months later, two officers (from the drug task
force) arrived at my house wanting to know the whereabouts of the two men
who had long since moved out. According to the officers, these men were
big-time dealers with regional and national connections. Suddenly after
months had gone by, it was a priority. In another instance, I learned that
tenants were cultivating pot. After calling police a number of times, I
realized they just wouldn't respond.

I went to the television news media to complain about inaction in the police
department. This was what it took to shame the police into responding. Most
recently, a raid took place in an apartment that I own where three police
responded.

After entering and searching the apartment, they found a small amount of
drugs resulting in one arrest.

After the cops had departed, the other tenants found drugs and cash in a
briefcase that was thrown out the bathroom window.

Common sense should have told them, "Hey, go around back in case they threw
something out the window."

Potential tenants always look good, neat, clean and have references. It's
impossible to check people out thoroughly. I've made attempts to gain access
to magistrate court files to learn a tenant's history, but access to those
files has been denied to me. I've been told by a magistrate that, "Sometimes
you just have to look the other way."

Through the years, I have received thanks for all my efforts on only one
occasion. The plain truth is they will never do what is necessary to stop
drug trafficking; too many have something to gain from it. They are always
looking for someone else (landlords) to blame.

My answer to the problem is that convicted users and dealers are inducted
into the military to supply our meat grinder in Iraq. Charles Carroll is a
Huntington resident.
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