AJ 58 – Community and Human Relations

1. AJ 58 – Community and Human Relations Chapter 10 – Community Policing and Drugs

2. 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”

3. 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

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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?

9. 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

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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