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CITIZENS' POLICE ACADEMY HEARS ABOUT DRUG-CRIME

SHELBY -- Probation, courts and narcotics were the topics of conversation during Thursday's Citizens Police Academy class, hosted by the Shelby Police Department.  Tracy Royster, of the Division of Community Corrections, discussed the individuals on probation in Cleveland County, which she numbered at 1,439.

Ninety-eight of those, Royster said, were probation absconders whose locations are not known.

She said there are 43 sex offenders in the county, one of whom is equipped with a GPS bracelet that he will wear for life.

"That is a population that we watch and monitor closely," she said of sex offenders.  District Attorney Rick Shaffer discussed the court system and the number of cases that go through the local courts each year.

Shaffer said the limited jail space and time set aside for trials each year plays a major part in determining whether a case will go to trial or whether the accused would face a plea bargain instead.

"There are well over 2,000 cases pending" in district and superior court, he said.  Shelby Police Lt.  Tim Walker discussed the drugs that are prevalent in Shelby.  Walker said there are only four narcotics detectives that work drug cases and added 80 percent of crime in Shelby is drug related.

To acquire harsher penalties for habitual drug felons, he said - when the opportunity is there - local drug cases are sent to federal court.

"Very rarely will the federal government take a case unless it's a slam dunk," he said.  "We have not had any problems getting convictions." Walker said he and his detectives often use paid informants to help them catch drug distributors and then showed video from a local drug buy in which an informant purchased crack cocaine from a dealer.  Because the actual transaction was not caught on film, he said, a jury did not convict the dealer.