Moving Nashville’s street-level undercover drug units out of the central office this summer is having a major impact, says Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas. The Tennessean says that in a conference room scented with marijuana, 75 pounds of which – worth $75,500 – was stacked in bricks on the table, Serpas praised his officers. The cache was found in a closet during the execution of a search warrant. Investigators suspect the pot was going to be divided up and sold to street dealers.
Seizures of marijuana, cocaine, guns, and drug-related money are all on the rise, as are drug-related arrests, since the police units were decentralized, Serpas said. “Decentralization works,” Serpas said. “It’s fantastic.” Commanders said that having the officers in the precincts allowed them to respond to tips faster. “We’re taking (dealers) down right, left and center,” said one. One dealer even called last week and asked to be arrested. “The No. 1 complaint we get is of people selling dope on the corner,” Serpas said. “I want the citizens of Nashville to know that if you’re slinging dope on the corners, we’re coming for you.”
Link: http://tennessean.com/local/archives/04/09/60014960.shtml?Element_ID=60014960