Friday, April 28, 2000
Cops crack down on drugs
Hamilton arrests over 50 suspects
By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hamilton officers David Crawford and Craig Bucheit arrest Karl Mays in the Riverside Homes housing complex.
(Glenn Hartong photo)
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HAMILTON — After Officer Craig Bucheit made a dramatic, flying tackle of drug suspect Karl Mays, tension in the Riverside Homes public housing complex rose Thursday afternoon.
An unfriendly crowd gathered as police cuffed the suspect and photographers snapped his photo. Most just stood sullenly, but one woman shouted: “It ain't stoppin' nothin'! The police do this every year, and it ain't stopped nothin' yet!”
A different reaction occurred moments later and a few blocks away, as police continued their drug sweep. A dozen onlookers stood at Pershing Avenue and Front Street, cheering. Some yelled, “Bye!” Others jeered, smiled or waved as a van full of suspects rolled toward police headquarters.
“The people cheering, those are the people who are tired of this going on in their neighborhood,” said Essex Shepherd, community resource officer who is assigned to the homes operated by the Butler Metropolitan Housing Authority. “And the people who were upset about it, those are probably the people who are part of the problem.”
In their fifth annual sweep of the housing projects, known as “Operation Safe Home,” police on Thursday snagged more than 50 suspects at last count.
Police were seeking 75 adults and 18 juveniles in the sweep, following 11 months of investigation. Police prefer massive sweeps for two main reasons, said Sgt. Thomas E. Kilgour, Hamilton police spokesman.
First, identities of undercover officers can remain protected longer before they must testify against the suspects. Second, the sweep is more likely to be noticed by the public and show that police really are trying to make a dent in the drug problem.
Police Chief Neil Ferdelman thanked Butler County Prosecutor John F. Holcomb for pushing through the 348-count indictment against the adult suspects, 57 of whom have prior drug arrests.
A number of other local, state and federal agencies also assisted, including the county sheriff's office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the U.S. Office of Inspector General.
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