{news} US CT: Torrington Drug War Heats Up

[clifford thornton]

This has got to stop.  This is highway robbery in the name of the war on drugs.  Legalizing, Medicalizing and decriminalizing drugs
means one thing and one thing only--the redistribution of wealth and income

     

US CT: Torrington Drug War Heats Up

      URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n995/a06.html
      Newshawk: Beth
      <javascript:popUp('http://www.mapinc.org/mapcgi/dndvote.pl?v06/n995/a06')> Votes<javascript:popUp('http://www.mapinc.org/mapcgi/dndvote.pl?v06/n995/a06')>: 0
      Pubdate: Sun, 30 Jul 2006
      Source: Republican-American (CT)
      Copyright: 2006 American-Republican Inc.
      Contact: rveillette at rep-am.com<mailto:rveillette at rep-am.com>
      Website: http://www.rep-am.com/<http://www.rep-am.com/>
      Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/571<http://www.mapinc.org/media/571>
      Author: Bryan Sundie
      Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm<http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm> (Asset Forfeiture)
      Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm<http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm> (Cocaine)
      Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm<http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm> (Drug Raids)
      Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm<http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm> (Ecstasy)
      Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm<http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm> (Heroin)


      TORRINGTON DRUG WAR HEATS UP 

      Seized Vehicle On Display As Warning 

      TORRINGTON -- If dealers pushing heroin and crack cocaine have not noticed a recent barrage of busts in the city, the police chief has a plan to make his anti-drug plans clear. 

      A vehicle seized from a drug raid will be parked in front of the Police Department with a warning for everyone to see, Chief Robert Milano said Saturday.  The warning, which will call attention to the former owner, will proclaim what Milano has been saying for months: 

      Torrington is waging a war on drugs. 

      The department's latest arrests came during a bust early Saturday morning.  Police interrupted a cocaine buy on Winthrop Street near the Winthrop Court apartments, next door to the city's skate park and Torrington High School.  They two men, one local and one from Waterbury, after finding freebase cocaine and $9,000. 

      The investigation also added a confiscated car to the department's list: a 1997 Infinity Q45.  Torrington has confiscated at least three other cars connected to drug arrests since the spring.  Ultimately, a judge must decide what happens to the vehicles. 

      "We are at a very serious stage," said Milano, who explained that drugs are often the root cause burglaries, robberies and shoplifting complaints in Torrington.  "A month doesn't go by when we don't have a heroin overdose." 

      Thursday, detectives arrested a Highland Avenue man after finding cocaine and $3,000 in his apartment.  And two weeks ago, police searched two apartments simultaneously, one on Birge Road and the other Prospect Street, confiscating heroin, Ecstasy, cocaine and a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee.  In June, officers found $27,000 and $12,000 worth of cocaine on South Main Street. 

      "We're a growing city, and with a growing city comes city problems," said first-term Mayor Ryan J.  Bingham.  While on the campaign trail, he rode with officers and was motivated to address drug problems in Torrington.  "I saw some of the drug use and its effect on people first hand," he said. 

      Bingham said making headway requires a two-pronged approach.  Vigilant enforcement is crucial, but the city can take other steps to aid the cause, he said, such as stamping out blight or encouraging neighborhood watch programs. 

      "We don't want to become a city where drugs are such a prevalent issue that it's almost uncontrollable," he said. 

      Milano credited determination for catching dealers, but said staffing changes have helped. 

      They include assigning a sergeant to oversee narcotics enforcement and using a federal grant to help shift a patrolman to focus on those cases. 

      And the department has money to hire four new officers, allowing Milano to move existing officers to the Detective Bureau. 

      "They will continue to hammer away at it," he said. 

      Saturday, police charged Russell Whitney, 45, of 120 Harwinton Ave., with criminal attempt to buy cocaine and possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school.  They levied drug charges against 25-year-old David Ireland of Waterbury, too.  Charged with possession of more than five grams of freebase cocaine, Ireland was held on $250,000 bond. 

      Bingham applauded the department's efforts and said he has no gripes about Milano's proposed advertising campaign about drugs.  



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      MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman 


     



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