Butler police Capt. Ronald Fierst, who will become the city’s police chief on March 2, says he wants to bring the same mentality to the chief position as he had as a beat officer.

He said he remains committed to the goal of making Butler “an uncomfortable and unwelcome place” for criminals.

That same attitude must guide Fierst’s predecessor, retired Police Chief Tim Fennell, who now heads the Butler County Drug Task Force.

Fennell’s ongoing mission must be to make life as uncomfortable as possible — indeed, miserable, if possible — for the county’s drug dealers, their suppliers and customers.

A major challenge for Butler and Butler County — as with many other municipalities and counties — is rampant illegal drug activity. That drug activity seriously damages adults’ lives, and increasingly claims young people and, in some cases, destroys their future.

Patrick J. Cannon, Fennell’s predecessor and the task force’s first leader, was responsible for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of drug-related arrests in the years after he assumed the top task force position in 1996. A goal of Fennell during his years in the same position should be to continue Cannon’s efforts, with equal or greater intensity.

Drug investigations are a painstaking process, but those involved with illegal drugs must be made to realize that they would feel less threatened if they took their drug activity elsewhere.

Early on, Fennell’s leadership must deliver the message — via arrests — that Cannon’s departure won’t result in a relaxation of the task force’s battle against the illegal-drug scourge.

Drugs are the basis for many of the other crimes that are committed in the city and elsewhere in the county, and the drug activity on the streets is a reason why many people, who in years past never feared taking a walk after dark, would never consider doing so now — especially in the city’s west side.

Unfortunately, drug activity in the city is likely to increase, if unchecked, as more drug dealers infiltrate Butler County from Pittsburgh and other areas of Allegheny County.

Butler certainly does not want what Pittsburgh experiences: frequent shootings and murders tied to drugs.

Increased pressure on the drug trade and those involved must be Fennell’s objective and the ongoing objective of municipal police officers who are task force members.

Like Cannon over the years, Fennell must exercise understanding for people who have made bad choices but now intend to change their lives for the better.

District Attorney Richard Goldinger summed up Cannon’s efforts in that regard:

“Pat cares deeply about crime victims, but he also cares about people who make stupid choices and end up arrested and in jail.”

But amid that, Fennell also must demonstrate a toughness beyond what he demonstrated during his years as a city police officer. Considering the city’s and county’s growing drug problem, he doesn’t really have a choice, if he intends to make a positive impact in his new job.

In an article in Wednesday’s Butler Eagle, Fierst said, “I just want to provide the best services possible for the people and businesses of the city.”

That quote should be Fennell’s commitment to the citizens of this county as well. There must be no leniency for those involved in illegal drugs in this county, and that obligation falls to the courts.

Fennell and Fierst will now be at the apex of the objective to make the city and county better, safer places for people to reside, raise families and live comfortably and without fear.

Relentlessly attacking the drug problem is a must-do for both of them.

Like Cannon, they must not disappoint.