Black leaders in St. Petersburg have joined with the mayor and police chief to show their support for responsible law enforcement throughout the city.

The St. Petersburg Police Department got a needed show of support Sunday from leaders in the African-American community. The department has been pushed and pulled recently by contradictory suggestions: that it is soft on drug dealers in black neighborhoods, and that it risks reviving racial tensions if it aggressively enforces drug laws there.

The message Sunday was a welcomed clarification, and City Council Chairwoman Rene Flowers put it most succinctly. "The sale of drugs and drug paraphernalia is not only against the law, it is unacceptable in any community," Flowers said. "We cannot call for a war against crime and drugs on one hand and admonish the police when they enforce the law on the other hand."

Mayor Rick Baker and new Police Chief Chuck Harmon have said all along that the department has not backed down on drug enforcement, but they made the right choice by responding to the perception that the relationship between the police and black residents had slipped. Among those adding their voices to the cause of responsible law enforcement were, in addition to Flowers, Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, local NAACP president Darryl Rouson and City Council member Earnest Williams.

Of particular concern was a recent attack on police officers during a drug arrest, when an angry crowd of men gathered and someone threw an explosive device, injuring two officers. Although police union officials took advantage of incident to criticize Harmon once again, there is no indication that the department has gone soft on crime or denied officers needed backup; in fact, the incident occurred while seven officers were making a drug bust, according to department records.

Some of the rhetoric is left over from the controversial firing of Chief Mack Vines last month. Hyperbolic accusations within the department are undoubtedly related to heated contract negotiations between the union and city officials over pay raises and benefits. But it is irresponsible. Some critics of the department suggest former Chief Goliath Davis III is to blame, despite the lack of evidence that he has interferred in any way. It is time for this kind of destructive blather to stop and for officers and residents to give Harmon a chance to run the department.

Drugs are a scourge in every American city, not just St. Petersburg, and the police alone cannot be expected to solve the problem. They will need cooperation from the entire community (which is where the drug buyers come from), and especially from those law-abiding residents who live in neighborhoods used by the sellers.

St. Petersburg's mayor, police chief and black leaders have delivered that message, which should be welcomed by all those who care about their city.

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