Drug concerns: Major arrests like meth ring and others key to winning war

Drug problems in a community are not something anyone likes to talk about -- not the leadership, not the public, no one.

But it is critical to understand just how much drug use -- and illegal drug distribution -- affect this city and county every day.

Drug distribution might be a crime, but it is also a catalyst for the abuse and use of illegal substances that creates other concerns in the community. Drug use is often a part of a crime report and very often also a key factor in troubled families as well.

And we all know what happens when the family structure is altered and drugs become an issue -- we lose another generation.

Busting up a drug ring is not an easy task. It takes months, sometimes years, of dedicated and determined work by law enforcement officers.

And it is dangerous work. More than a few officers have lost their lives in just such a drug sting.

So it is critical that the community understand just how important operations like this are and how much of a problem drugs are in this and in any community.

Tough sentences and relentless pursuit of perpetrators are critical steps in reducing the amount of drugs on the street -- and in the end -- the number of arrests for drug-related crimes.

This is not an issue of freedom and misplaced resources -- and it is not a problem overblown by the media. It is a reason to be vigilant -- and to support those who are taking the means to protect this community and its children, one arrest at a time.

Published in Editorials on March 18, 2014 11:00 AM