CNHI
Somerset —
Dear Editor:
I read with interest, the article entitled “Snit divides SPD & Drug Task Force’’ in the July 22, 2010, edition of the Commonwealth Journal.
The article, written by Tricia Neal, was complicated and contained a lot of information. As such, it was a little hard to follow, but if I am not too far off the mark, the “gist” of it seems to indicate :
• That LCADTF (Lake Cumber-land Area Drug Task Force) has grant funding for an undetermined period of time into the future.
• That the city government has been administrating that program, in terms of human resources (pay-roll, retirement, insurance, etc.).
• That the city has issued notice that it is no longer willing to prosecute that function.
• That as a result of the withdrawal of the city’s function in this area, the drug task force may collapse, and do so rapidly (within weeks, according to the CJ).
• Lastly, and most importantly, this might happen because the chief of police got his “feelings hurt”?
Okay, let me get this straight: Suddenly, even though LCADTF has the operating capital, or the guarantee for the monies needed to fund itself into the unforeseeable future, the city government is no longer willing to administer those funds?
According to the article, the city will cease administering that program within “30 days.” Given that the city will no longer function in this particular role, the future of LCADTF is uncertain (30 days, as indicated in the article). In fact, “some task force agents may loose their jobs by the end of the week” according to the CJ.
The article goes on to say who said this, and who said that; attorneys for the city are quoted. Attorneys for the city from a Lexington based firm are quoted as well. In a seemingly endless and tangled web of emails, memos, letters, statements, so on and so forth, on and on and on. It is my understanding we might loose our drug task force. And very soon.
The article roughly suggests that the “snit” began to form “last month” when the board of directors of LCADTF began considering the hiring of a retired federal marshal, Mike Walters. The article further indicates that, according to David Gilbert, the director of the board (LCADTF), the current Chief of Police in Somerset, Doug Nelson (who is also a LCADTF board member), “Got his feelings Hurt” over the board’s choice of hiring Walters (the retired federal marshal).
“Nobody is going to tell him who to hire,” the CJ goes on to quote Doug Nelson.
Either I am horribly misreading this article, or somebody (possibly somebodies) have gotten their priorities terribly mixed up.
Granted, I am not “privy” to all of those memos, letters, emails, conversations, meeting minutes, etc. Everything I know about this “SNIT” comes from what I read in the CJ article. I probably don’t have all of the facts, but since I paid my 50 cents for that edition of the Commonwealth Journal, and since I read this article carefully, I feel that I am qualified to render at least a partial opinion. If I am way off base, blame that on the Commonwealth Journal (whose job it is to inform the public without bias.)
Let me break down what I believe I read.
What are the facts? Who knows? Without reading or listening to everything that has been said or has transpired on this issue, I have to concede that I may be “in the dark” on some of the information. I believe what I read is this: Our area drug task force organization has funding into the distant future, but it might collapse all because somebody got their feelings hurt over who gets a job?
Here are some facts that I can personally attest to:
FACT: My family has been devastated by the flow illegal drugs rampant into our community. Not to put to fine a point on it, I will say it again: Devastated!
The villainy, drudgery and absolute evil nature of the drug trade, and people who sell, grow, and/or manufacture drugs in or county and then push those drugs on to the youths in our middle schools and high schools—my god, there are not many evils that are worse than this.
FACT: The future of a very effective drug task force, a force that fights a war on this very evil in our community may on the chopping block.
FACT: The reason for this? I really do not know. I am told (by the CJ), it may be because of a personal difficulty on the part of a city official.
SUMMARY: I am not sure, but if the suggestions in this article are to be believed, a large and effective part of the war on drugs in our community may go away. Why? Because somebody got their feelings hurt! If this is not the entire reason, shame on the Commonwealth Journal for making it seem that way. I am sorry, but “Got his feelings hurt” and “Nobody is going to tell him who to hire” smacks of the politic as usual (or really, should I say unusual?). If this is an accurate depiction of the scenario within which the LCADTF may be dissolved, I am outraged—simply outraged!
Citizens of Somerset and Pulaski County please pay attention to this issue. Follow it! Let us hold our elected officials accountable, not only for the execution their offices, but for the offices they administer. Let us also hold our reporting agencies accountable. We can not go to every council meeting. We don’t get copies of emails, letters, and other correspondence regarding the city/county business our officials do. We rely on the reporters in our community. We read the articles, from opinions based on that information.
After reading and re-reading this article, I have but one last thing to say, and I will say it directly to our city leaders, our members of law enforcement and our newspaper:
If what I read in this article is accurate, I can only encourage you to this heartfelt challenge. Fight the good fight! Fight the fight that protects our families and our children from the most evil, destructive vermin to haunt our wonderful homeland. If your fight is the politic, and that fight consummates the destruction of an effective drug task force in our community then in my opinion, things are gone terribly awry. The job you do, your”commission” as it were, is well beyond your own personal aspirations. You are out there saving lives... the lives of our children. Do not cut off one of your limbs because somebody “got their feelings hurt!
That truly would be insane.
Jonathan Thompson
Somerset, KY
