The day after Harlan County's first UNITE-coordinated drug bust put 35 suspected drug dealers in jail, local law enforcement officials said that the program is filling a need.

"Everyone's aware of the drug problem we have in this area," said Lt. Jack Miniard of the Kentucky State Police. "No law enforcement agency is going to be able to do this by itself. We need cooperation of agencies and we need the community's help."

Getting the community involved in fighting the region's drug problem is a major goal of UNITE Unlawful Narcotics Investigation, Treatment & Education.

Congressman Hal Rogers visited Harlan on Tuesday with a message to citizens: "If you're thinking about using drugs, we want you to get smart. If you're addicted to drugs, we want to help you get treatment. If you're a drug dealer, we want you to get out of this community."

UNITE's attack is three-pronged: create regional drug task forces; organize local citizens' groups and coordinate drug treatment programs; and work with educators to expand drug awareness and education programs.

Many of the street-level drug dealers arrested Tuesday were from Cumberland.

Bruce Ayers, who lives in Cumberland and is a member of UNITE's regional steering committee, said he thinks the community is "relieved" to see some of the dealers get caught.

"It sends a statement to folks who are selling drugs that the community is alarmed and from this point on we're going to be involved through programs like UNITE to take back our communities," he said.

Activating community members, Ayers said, is vital to success in the battle being fought against drugs in Harlan County.

"There's more involved here than just enforcement. If that's the only step we take, we'll fail," he said.

Sheriff Steve Duff said that UNITE is a "good concept." He said that the program is helping to improve communication and coordination between law enforcement agencies.

Citizens who have information about drug trafficking in Harlan County should contact local law enforcement or UNITE, said Miniard.