 Prosecutors Pleased With High
Conviction Rate In Drug Cases94% Conviction Rate In Circuit Court Drug Cases In 1995 & So Far In 1996 The Street-Sales Enforcement Initiative of the Lexington Police Department and the Fast-Track Drug Prosecution Project of the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office have produced high quality investigations and successful prosecutions in Fayette Circuit Court. Over the past year and a half the Narcotics Unit of the Lexington Police Department has conducted three undercover drug investigations. These investigations have resulted in the arrest of 234 drug dealers on the streets of Lexington. This group has between them 1,098 prior criminal convictions, or an average criminal record of almost five prior convictions each. Lexington Police Chief Larry Walsh stated, "the undercover investigations were initiated as a result of complaints from residents of neighborhoods in which the drugs were being sold on the streets." "The police can’t do it all," Walsh said. "It is essential that the residents of the neighborhoods where drugs are being sold do their part. And they have been, by calling and saying, ‘We have a dope dealer operating at this location’," according to Walsh. "We need their eyes and ears. The police can’t be everywhere." Ray Larson, Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney, was pleased with the 94 percent conviction rate achieved by his office in prosecuting drug cases in both 1995 and through the first seven months of 1996. "It is important that the excellent investigative work done by the police be translated into convictions in court," Larson said. "By the number of convictions returned by juries in Fayette County, it’s obvious that they are concerned about drugs too," Larson stated. "The Criminal Justice System is like a chain, and it is only as strong as its weakest link," Larson stated. "All of the links—citizens, police, prosecutor, juries and judges— must do their part if we are to succeed," he said. "Lexington is our community. We cannot surrender any part of it to the criminal element. The residents of every neighborhood have the right to sit on their porches, walk on their sidewalks, to let their children play in the front yards. When the drug dealers move in, those residents become prisoners in their own homes. These law-abiding residents become the victims of the drug dealers," Larson stated. They deserve our protection.
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