Drug Cartels Invading Gwinnett

Did you ever think you would see a headline like the above here - in Gwinnett County?

I never did.

It's a terrible, terrible indictment upon our community that this element has decided to set up shop here.  Near OUR homes.  Doesn't matter where you live - Duluth, Norcross, Loganville or Grayson - it is near your home, your school, your park.

Why has this happened?  There are a number of theories we could espouse, but in reality it's simple: because no one stopped it.  No one paid attention to the warning signs.  And that 'no one' is the leadership of our county, not the police force.

As Gwinnett's population has soared - has our police force kept pace? No.  It's not for lack of effort on the part of the police department, no they have tried to do their best with what they've been given.

As the number of illegals entering our community soared - did our leaders do anything? No. In fact, Chairman Bannister delayed the implementation of programs to deport illegals from our community by tabling implementation of the 287(g) program.

So, you might ask, what do we do now?

We stop making excuses. 

We stop taking 'no' for an answer. 

We roll-up the welcome mat. 

We enforce our laws. 

We expand our police department.  And I don't mean by 10 or 20 a year - we need a MAJOR expansion of the number of police officers on the streets.

We make sure our police officers are well trained and equipped to fight these foes. 

We participate in metro-wide drug and gang task forces.

Chairman Bannister claims that Gwinnett hired 292 police officers over the past three years.  True?  Well, sort of.  Gwinnett has hired that many police personnel - including all positions, not just police officers.  But, almost 180 police officers have left the County during that same time.  We don't seem to be catching up - we're just training alot of great officers for other counties and cities.  We must find out WHY these good men and women are leaving Gwinnett.  Is it the pay? The benefits? The constant turnover is not only expensive, but it reduces the level of overall experience in the department, which hurts not only the police officers, but the citizens as well.

Will this cost money?  Yes, but what does a headline such as the one above cost us?  Millions. 

It's time to get tough, Gwinnett.  Give our police department the resources they need, and they'll get the job done.

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