NCJ Number
163875
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the Polaris component of Project North Star, an effort to facilitate interagency planning among U.S. and Canadian agencies for border-control strategies.
Abstract
Project North Star was established in 1990 to track subtle shifts in drug trafficking and other criminal trends and to take a leadership role in preparing to respond to these changes. The North Star Joint Coordination Group (JCG) was established in March 1991 to coordinate border control efforts between Canada and the United States. With the increased intensity of illicit activity along the border, the JCG responded with Polaris, a strategy that incorporates the traditional methodology of low- intensity conflict. The Polaris strategy, written by JCG members in 1992, is a border-wide view of mutual goals. It provides a broad outline of ways to coordinate efforts through law enforcement cooperation as well as to strengthen efforts against the illegal movement of drugs, weapons, illegal aliens, revenue, and terrorists. Polaris takes into account the vast amount of law enforcement work performed by provincial, State, and local officers, and it speaks to the needs of these agencies. The Polaris strategy calls for increased work on post-seizure analysis under its information sharing and intelligence goals.