Police see more weapons

MASSENA — When Massena village police executed a search warrant recently at a Reed Drive residence as part of a drug investigation, they found a loaded pistol in a safe and a loaded rifle stuffed behind a couch.

Police Chief Timmy J. Currier said the arrest of Terry L. McGregor Jr., 21, of 258 Reed Drive, on felony and misdemeanor charges of criminal possession of a weapon during a drug raid early Thursday demonstrates one of the challenges law enforcement personnel face — the frequent and increasing presence of firearms in domestic incidents, drug arrests and other crimes.

Police said Mr. McGregor had a loaded 9 mm Ruger pistol in a safe along with a half-ounce of cocaine and approximately $2,000 in cash. A loaded Hi-Point 9 mm rifle with a pistol grip was found behind a couch in the residence, which also was occupied by Mr. McGregor's girlfriend and two small children.

"This particular case is indicative of the things we are facing in the illegal drug trade. Our investigations and arrests are proving that people involved in the drug trade are dangerous," Mr. Currier said.

Police officers are increasingly finding more community residents in possession of unregistered handguns.

"We see everything from handguns to assault rifles," Mr. Currier said.

He said the department has more than 30 weapons in its evidence room, ranging from handguns to rifles and shotguns.

Mr. Currier said the proliferation of the guns in the community makes police work more challenging, whether it is in the execution of search warrants during drug raids or in cases such as a recent one that resulted in the arrest of a a former Connecticut man charged with jumping bail on an attempted-murder charge who was found living at a Massena Housing Authority apartment.

"Over the last several years, we have taken a number of steps to increase our training and improve our equipment to ensure when we are executing these warrants, we maximize the safety of our people. That's a huge concern for me," the chief said.

Mr. Currier said his department frequently receives information about crimes committed between buyers and sellers of drugs, and those reports increasingly include information about the use of firearms in those crimes.

"Oftentimes the crimes aren't reported, but we are hearing about them through informants or other confidential investigative techniques. We often hear weapons are involved in these crimes," he said.

This often perpetuates further crime in the community, he said.

"People want drugs and they don't have the money, so they commit a robbery against the dealer. Then the problem becomes the dealer wants to even the score, needs to recover money or the drugs, so there is more crime and violent acts," Mr. Currier said.

The veteran police officer said in recent years he has seen dramatic changes in the people dealt with by Massena's criminal justice system.

"They have become more violent and less likely to comply with orders issued by law enforcement," Mr. Currier said.

He said despite the changes in the criminal element in Massena, he doesn't feel the community has become a dangerous place.

"It is still a very safe community, but the population of the people law enforcement deals with has changed," he said.