NCJ Number
142350
Date Published
Unknown
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This report describes the first year achievements of a comprehensive program to counter the crack cocaine epidemic in Miami, Fla.
Abstract
The program, funded by a $350,000 Federal grant, began operating in January 1989. It was designed to address the drug problem in four areas. One component, Operation S.T.I.N.G., used undercover police officers who posed as drug sellers to address the demand side of the street-level drug activity. The customer, upon purchasing narcotics from the undercover sellers, was immediately arrested, and any customer vehicle was impounded and forfeiture proceedings enacted. The second program component, Operation Buy/Bust, used undercover officers to act as buyers to determine exact targets. Once this information was known, a team of officers moved in to make the arrests. The impact was to shut down the targeted drug operations so communities could control their neighborhoods. The third component, Mid-Level Investigation, used the coordinated efforts of the newly formed Street Narcotic Unit Interceptor Squad to develop a "connection" that would lead an investigation toward the reduction or elimination of drug flow to the street dealer/seller. The fourth component focused on high-level investigations that targeted the sources of drug flow into Miami. The operations conducted have provided the foundation for a computerized database that compiles statistics and tracks narcotics enforcement activity. Appended program operational data on arrests, narcotics seizures, and a defendant profile