~"We need to post a sign that says drug dealers are not welcome here"
Sikeston Public Safety's massive drug sweep this week was both good and bad news. It was bad news to think we have this many drug dealers without our city but good news because Public Safety was able to remove this amount of drugs from the system.
Drugs have increasingly become a part of our culture. But crack cocaine and methamphetamines are especially concerning and those twin drugs were the focus of the Public Safety effort. By the amount of bonds it's evident that those arrested were not casual drug users. In many instances these people were preying on others and using drug sales as a means of income.
This week's sweep was a combined effort of several law enforcement groups and the leadership of the Public Safety Department is to be commended for involving others in this law enforcement effort. In the past there was a reluctance to seek outside assistance. That has changed along with the leadership. Our community should be proud of that change.
Rest assured, this is not the end of the arrests over the coming weeks and months. Public Safety here is committed to reduce or eliminate the drug culture that grips some segments of this community. But as we all know, the drugs are not based solely in one neighborhood. This week's sweeps proved that and more.
We urge the Housing Authority to continue their diligent effort to remove drug offenders from subsidized housing here. If Public Safety and Housing officials keep to the task, our community will be the better for their efforts. We believe that will happen.
We need to post a sign that says drug dealers are not welcome here. And we need to continue the efforts such as this past week that clearly illustrate our resolve to eliminate drugs from our community. The final piece of the puzzle involves the courts. We would urge the courts to view these drug dealers for what they are. A slap on the hand will solve nothing. A view from the inside of a prison cell will go a long way toward achieving our goal.