Between 2002 and 2005, Howard County police engaged in three major drug investigations, arresting nearly 100 suspected dealers in Columbia and making a major dent in the county?s drug trade.

Operations Clean Sweep and Mesmerize are the kind of long-term investigations new County Executive Ken Ulman plans to fund by adding about 20 more police officers every year to free up police for these high-end probes while keeping patrol officers in the community, Ulman said Thursday.