Pubdate: Fri, 09 Dec 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: Christopher D. Chiles, Cabell County prosecuting attorney
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1664/a08.html

PROSECUTORS ARE WORKING TO GET DEALERS OFF STREET

An editorial last month discussed the recent increases in drug arrests
by local law enforcement and wondered what the results were and
whether people were being incarcerated for their drug activity.

I believe the entire community agrees this increased law enforcement
presence and effort is good and want it to continue. I fully agree and
want to compliment our police agencies for reallocating limited
manpower to address this problem. The community support and
information received has been appreciated, resulted in increased
intelligence and has led to additional arrests.

The results of our efforts are encouraging. In 2004 we indicted
approximately 275 people on felony charges. Of those, 45 were indicted
for a felony drug charge, approximately 15 percent of those indicted.
We have concluded 38 of those cases. Of those 38 defendants, 34 were
convicted and 31 of those were convicted of felonies. That represents
an overall conviction rate of 90 percent and a felony conviction rate
of 82 percent.

Also, those convicted are being punished by our courts. Of the 31
defendants convicted of a felony, 27 of them were incarcerated and 21
were sent to prison. So 87 percent of those convicted of felonies were
incarcerated and 68 percent were sentenced to prison.

This year, due to the increased drug investigations, we had more than
115 felony drug indictments as compared to 45 last year and almost 400
total indictments as compared to about 275 last year. Since almost
two-thirds of those indictments just happened in October, the vast
majority of the drug indictments for this year are still pending. Of
the relative few concluded, about 90 percent have been convicted and
approximately 75 percent of those were felony convictions.

We have been, and will continue to take these drug cases very
seriously. Again, I join with the community in publicly commending
those in charge of our law enforcement agencies for moving their
limited personnel around to permit these new task forces to target the
street-level drug dealers.

My office is committed to working with them to continue to
aggressively pursue this drug activity. I have had many people tell me
they can see a difference -- a positive difference -- in their
neighborhoods. The law enforcement agencies and this office will keep
up our efforts to continue to make a positive difference.

Christopher D. Chiles is Cabell County prosecuting attorney.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin