TOUGH ON DRUGS

When government agencies conspire to harass and encumber business, merchants rightfully object. But when the business is illegal drug trade and the merchants are purveyors of misery, burdensome and intrusive government is welcome.

Such is the story of the Tactical Narcotics Team of Cape Girardeau County. TNT, as it is called, is a cooperative anti-drug unit involving the Cape Girardeau and Jackson police departments and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Since TNT was established in December 1994, drug cases in Cape Girardeau County, excluding the city, have increased 417 percent.

Community involvement plays a key role in TNT's battle against illegal drugs. Tips from residents who observe suspected drug-related activities in their neighborhoods help law enforcement officials in their efforts to harass the bad guys. Because of the ancillary nature of the drug trade, TNT also has solved other crimes in the county, such as thefts and burglaries drug users commit to support their habit.

By targeting users of illegal drugs, TNT takes a market-based approach to crime control. People often mistakenly think the only way to combat drugs is to go after the primary sources, or major dealers. But for every major dealer arrested, there often are several waiting in the wings to take their place on the streets. The key to curbing such activity is to attack the market -- drug users and neighborhoods where drug traffic is heavy.

By doing so, TNT has pushed drug addicts off the street while making it riskier for the curious to experiment with drugs. Many of the users, fearing extended jail sentences, cooperate with law enforcement and finger the large drug suppliers to the area.

Perhaps most important, the enforcement of the anti-drug efforts has focused on protecting the rights of victims -- law abiding citizens who inevitably pay the cost of the drug trade and its subsidiary crimes -- instead of the rights of lawbreakers to ply their illicit goods.

After one year, TNT has proven itself an asset to Cape Girardeau County. Through its cooperation with the SEMO Drug Task Force, coordinated by the Missouri Highway Patrol, TNT should remain a valuable weapon in the battle against illegal drugs in Cape Girardeau County.