New Program Reforms Drug-Torn Neighborhood

Even toddlers witness drug activity on Terrace Ave. in Hempstead, N.Y. ABC's hidden cameras captured this deal last winter.

(ABC News)

Tracking Down Drug Dealers

The Nassau County district attorney's office launched the program with a 10-month undercover investigation. They sent in confidential informants to buy drugs and to learn the identities of the dealers on Terrace and Bedell.

Throughout the course of the investigation, 50 dealers were identified, and the DA's office conducted background checks to see who would be eligible to participate in the program. The vast majority were disqualified because of their violent pasts, but 13 demonstrated potential to change and were offered a second chance.

In a unique collaboration, prosecutors, police and the community teamed up and went door-to-door to seek out the 13 criminals, inviting them to show up at a community meeting. As incentive, the dealers were given freedom and an opportunity to turn their lives around. The round-the-clock mission wasn't easy. Mistrust is common, and many people wouldn't even open up their doors.

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Sixty-three-year-old Everett Hairston, who has lived in Hempstead for more than two decades, was one of the first dealers to participate. He was once a successful musician who appeared on the "Dinah Shore Show" as a member of the hit band The Platters in 1976, and played with music greats like Melba Moore, Roberta Flack and Smokey Robinson.

But after retiring from life on the road to raise his children, Hairston's life took a few rough turns. He ended up selling crack out of his apartment, according to Rice.

Hannah Tindall, another dealer from the neighborhood, also agreed to participate in the initiative. Her mother died when she was 10 years old, leaving her to be raised by an abusive aunt, the foster care system, and, eventually, the streets.