AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT BANS TOGETHER TO ESTABLISH TACTICAL NARCOTICS TEAM

In a large-scale effort to rid the county of illegal drugs, officers from the Jackson and Cape Girardeau police departments, Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department and SEMO Drug Task Force have collaborated to form the Cape Girardeau County Tactical Narcotics Team, or TNT.

The unit will be coordinated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and also will be aided by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

"We want to serve notice that the Tactical Narcotics Team is up and running and will be kicking butt," said Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan.

TNT was established Dec. 5 and the law enforcement agencies involved with the unit have been touting its success, without getting into specifics.

"In the first week out, we executed three search warrants and they were all successful," said highway patrol Cpl. Kevin Glaser, who also serves as coordinator of the SEMO Drug Task Force.

Law enforcement agencies that have assigned officers to TNT won't reveal the number of men and women working with the unit.

Cape Girardeau Police Capt. Steve Strong said his department was eager to participate in TNT.

"Drug dealers don't observe jurisdictions," he said. "We need something like this to track these people moving in and out of the area. Hopefully, if they move into the area, we're going to move them out by incarcerating them.

"These officers in this will be involved in both covert and overt operations to get that done," he added.

Glaser said the price of drugs in Southeast Missouri is about the same as illegal drug prices in metropolitan areas like St. Louis and Chicago. He said although people don't see the problem in an open-air market like they do in cities, the drug traffic obviously exists because the price for illegal drugs in this area isn't higher than the city prices.

"We have the same drugs and gang-related problems that are in Chicago and St. Louis," he said. "It may not be at the same level, but we don't have the population they do either."

TNT also will be involved in policing other criminal activity in the county. Because drug trafficking breeds other crime, the bylaws of TNT have been written to allow the unit to investigate other crimes in Cape Girardeau County.

"The guy on drugs is the same guy who is breaking into your car, kicking in your door or doing something else, maybe worse." Jordan said. "If you attack the drug activity, you're going to reduce the other street crime. And that's what we want this organization to do."

The officers serving in TNT continue to receive pay checks from their respective law enforcement agencies. But equipment needed in their work typically will be provided by the SEMO Drug Task Force and highway patrol.

"This is a win-win situation for everyone," Strong said.

Thanks to the participation by the highway patrol and the Drug Enforcement Agency, TNT has been able to receive information from federal sources needed to track drug traffickers who typically don't stay in an area too long.

"They also will be able to file the proper charges," Strong said. "Depending on the situation, charges can be filed in municipal, state or federal court. To have this cooperation will make the exchange of information much easier."

Jordan agreed: "This is an information-sharing network to pinpoint where the bad guys are.

"We've had people who have moved into this area because this has been a free market in the past, and now the heat is going to be put on them," he said.

Strong said he knew the city or Cape Girardeau County had drug trafficking problems, but the current severity of Cape Girardeau County's drug trafficking might not be as bad as other counties.

"But we can see the clouds on the horizon," he said. "And I think we should go meet the storm before it blows into town.