AJ 58 – Community and Human Relations

Chapter 10 –

Community Policing and Drugs

Historical Overview

When did the “drug problem” begin?– Age-old history

1960’s caused society/LE to focus on problem

– Flagrant, public drug use– Anti-Establishment rebellion– “Turn on, tune in, drop out”

War on Drugs

Drugs seen as the “enemy”– Connections to crime/violence– Devastating to families– Hot political topic

Police caught in middle – Legal issue of related crimes– Moral issue affecting whole society

Community Policing efforts must focus on– Problem solving– Health of community

Nature/Extent of the Problem

Media focus = perception of huge problem Problem must be understood before

effective strategies can be developed– National surveys– Hospital data– Prison data

All indicate drugs as significant problem What is the most problematic drug?

Police Anti-Drug Strategies

Impossible to eliminate drugs, thus LE focus should be on reducing harm

– Target problems, not just apprehend drug offenders Goals of anti-drug efforts

– Reduce organized crime/gang violence– Control drug-related street crime– Improve health/well-being of users– Restore quality-of-life by ending drug dealing– Prevent drug experimentation by children– Protect integrity of criminal justice institutions

Which of these can LE affect directly?

Law Enforcement Anti-Drug Efforts

High-level enforcement attacks on drug growers, producers, manufacturers, distributors

– Reducing supply = disruption to network Burden placed on federal agencies

– DEA Cooperating with foreign governments

– FBI Attacking organized crime networks that distribute drugs

– ATF Working with local LE to target mid-level wholesalers/dealers

– Customs Inspecting goods entering US

High-Level Enforcement

Federal anti-drug enforcement efforts– Long-term development of informants– Undercover intelligence-gathering– Electronic surveillance– Bottom-up methodology

This type of enforcement is…– Expensive, time-consuming– Dependent upon available resources

Local LE more focused on street-level

Supply and Demand

Reduction in supply = increase in cost, but LE efforts have not significantly reduced overall supply of drugs

LE might not be interfering with strongest operators

Strong organizations have many subordinates ready to continue operations– May lead to increased violence

Military assistance?

Retail-Level Enforcement

Discreet dealings– Homes, offices, clubs/bars, etc.– More difficult to address– Less likely to contribute to collateral crime and disorder

Indiscreet dealings– Open street corners, “crack houses”, “shooting galleries”…– Easier to address– Increases crime/disorder in area– Indicator of serious community problem

Attacking Indiscreet Dealers

Should be top LE priority– Results in greatest harm reduction for Community

Street “sweeps” and “crackdowns” focus on specific hot-spots

– Numerous arrests… possession, sales, etc.– Temporary approach only– Random crackdowns may be more of a deterrent, but

dealers still adjust/modify operations Buy-Bust/Reverse-Sting operations

– Undercover officers, arrest teams– Target street-level transactions

Overall impact? Message to community?

Anti-Drug Programs for Juveniles

Focus on prevention and enforcement Increased presence in schools

– DARE, SANE, etc.– Multi-grade curriculum– Results show no significant impact on reduction of

drug use, however…– Very positive results of humanizing LE

Community Policing and Drugs

Drug use seems to be interwoven within fabric of society– Connection to other problems/crimes/arrests

Police can not address problem alone, must be cooperative effort and community-wide problem-solving approach including– Law Enforcement– Drug Education– Drug Treatment

Community Policing and Drugs

Community-Policing Officers play vital role in local anti-drug efforts– Community outreach specialists– Positive relationships

Success of community involvement– Focus on less-affluent, high/crime areas– Organize marches, rallies, citizen-patrols– Identify community leader to initiate activities

Community Policing and Retail-Level Drug Dealing

CPO’s offer first line of defense Permanent, citywide, neighborhood-based approach

– Permanent beat assignments– Establish trust, cooperation, communication

CPO’s can… – Conduct informal surveys of neighborhoods– Identify specific crime/disorder problems– Create innovative responses with cooperation of community

members or other public agencies

Successful Efforts

North Miami Beach, Fla.– Warn/notify dealers, offer job information– Follow-up with arrests/job information– Post job notices/Host job fairs

Lansing, Mich.– Random visits to drug houses– Chat with “customers”– Disrupt business– Visible presence = perception of LE concern/effort

CPO can be informational link to community if LE sweeps or crackdowns planned

– Otherwise seen as harassment/overly-aggressive

Information-Gathering

Trust = cooperation = communication! Identify person(s) in community interested in

helping to identify/solve problem– Retirees, concerned citizens, etc.– More easily identified/approached by CPO– Numerous/random contacts by CPO’s lessens

likelihood of informant identification/retaliation by suspects

Community-Policing Strategies

Arrest becomes merely one option of many– Focus on problem-solving– Arrests may bottleneck the system and create lack of

confidence Focus on Disorderly Conduct (M) arrests to

discourage customers/dealers– Neighborhood Watch meetings near problem– Escort services

Creative, community-based/police-supervised strategies shift focus from felony arrests as goal

Police & Community Working Together

Police-Community efforts– Walking sweeps of neighborhoods– Writing down license plate numbers– “Photographing” dope deals

Create zero-tolerance atmosphere CPO is catalyst for involving citizens

– Brainstorm new, innovative ideas– Job opportunities for recovering addicts

Deal with community frustrations which may lead to vigilantism

– Continuing/personalized supervision of citizens

Avoiding Corruption

Fears of corruption/abuse if line officers allowed to initiate drug intervention

Corruption/abuse more likely from elite units/task-forces, especially if working under secrecy

– Accountability issues– Basing success on arrests opens door to corruption/abuse– Robin Hood mentality

CPO’s identify more with community needs– Less likely than other line officers to have “us vs. them” mentality

Problem-Solving Strategies

Improved lighting in drug-dealing areas Cooperative teaming of Law Enforcement

and Code Enforcement officers Removal of basketball hoops in drug-dealing

park– Leaving others for legitimate use

Elimination of potential hiding places Improvement of resident/visitor access

Strategies for Juveniles

Why do kids join gangs?– Identity, excitement, protection, “easy” money

Alternatives?– Youth clubs, sports, recreational activities

Other strategies– Identify “at-risk” kids/families– Offer “rewards” for positive behavior– Must go beyond classroom education

CPO’s serve as positive role models

Link to Other Services

Encourage alcohol/drug/anger counseling for families

Provide information to drug addicts regarding AIDS, Hepatitis, etc.

Refer to health services for teen pregnancies

Summary

Community Policing adds scope and continuity to existing anti-drug efforts

Goes beyond traditional special-unit enforcement– Arrests no longer main goal

Focuses on problem-solving strategies that require community cooperation

Reduces risk of civil unrest, disturbances, riots that may result from traditional aggressive enforcement efforts