Pubdate: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 Source: Standard-Times (MA) Copyright: 1999 The Standard-Times Contact: http://www.s-t.com/ Author: Polly Saltonstall, Standard-Times staff writer FEDS TO ASSESS DRUG PROBLEM NEW BEDFORD -- City officials and the Office of National Drug Control Policy have agreed on a date for a team from the national drug czar's office to visit the whaling city. The office's Acting Assistant Director Dennis Greenhouse and five other federal officials will spend July 22 and 23 in New Bedford meeting with local leaders and the public, according to Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr.'s spokeswoman, Bernadette Coelho. "We plan to put together a public meeting on one of the two evenings," she said, "but we really haven't ironed out any of the details yet." The team will include representatives from White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mr. Greenhouse said. The participants will interview local officials and hold meetings to assess the status of the city's drug problems. A similar visit to Youngstown, Ohio last year helped that city secure a crime-fighting grant, according to city officials in Youngstown. The outcome of this outreach to New Bedford will depend on what kind of resources and outlook the federal team brings to the table, New Bedford Police Arthur Kelly Jr. said. The unusual visit by the federal drug experts was sparked by a conversation between Mr. Kalisz and Drug Czar Barry R. McCaffrey at the White House last winter. Mayor Kalisz asked the federal official for help combating New Bedford's drug problems. Based in the White House, ONDCP coordinates federal, state, and local efforts to control illegal drug abuse and devises national strategies to carry out anti-drug activities. The agency's goals includes reducing the availability and use of illegal drugs by 50 percent. ONDCP officials have said they plan to look at the way drug treatment is provided in the community, the extent and nature of drug prevention activities and the extent of task force cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea