Hard work: Local law enforcement takes risk on every drug arrest

There is no absolute guarantee that every arrest made by the Goldsboro police, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department or any other law enforcement agency is going to permanently take drugs off the street.

In fact, there is some question, since often those who are charged post bond and are back on the streets, about the effectiveness of raids and large-scale operations. Criminals, especially the experienced ones, know exactly how to work the system.

But no matter what happens in the courtroom or the prison cell, it is important to remember that each of these operations carries a risk.

No law enforcement officer knows what will happen when he or she executes a search warrant or stops a vehicle.

It might be an uneventful arrest, or that officer could be faced with the barrel of a gun.

The same is true for every call these agencies receive -- a simple response could turn into a deadly situation quickly and without warning.

So while there are legitimate questions to be raised about what the next steps should be in the drug war -- and what needs to be done to stem the tide of illegal drugs funneling into this community, the bottom line is that the men and women on the front lines should be commended.

Theirs is not an easy job. They never know what dangers they will face or if this will be the day that they won't come home.

And we should be grateful to any of them who put on a badge and work to keep us safe.

And even if there is no end in sight to the drug problems that plague this county, at least, for now, there are an awful lot of dealers and users finding it harder to find drugs.

And that is a step forward.

Published in Editorials on July 16, 2014 11:04 AM