NCJ Number
78904
Journal
JOHN MARSHALL JOURNAL OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Volume: 9 Dated: (1975) Pages: 143-147
Date Published
1975
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Obstacles to the successful abatement of the drug abuse problem as perceived by the police community are discussed, and Illinois' innovative approach to drug law enforcement is described.
Abstract
The identified obstacles to drug law enforcement were selected from recent periodicals and current literature authored by police and drug enforcement administrators. One perceived barrier to drug law enforcement is society's failure to take the drug abuse problem seriously to the extent of demanding the forceful detention of abusers as a primary deterrent and means of reducing demand. The focus upon drug pushers is not believed to be effective, since they are so easily replaced. Virtually every law enforcement agency believes another barrier is the lack of sufficient personnnel to deal with the enforcement problem, particularly regarding dealing with abuse among females and minority communities. Further, the police feel they are unreasonably restricted by right-to-privacy legislation and court rule. The greatest single problem regarding prosecution from the police viewpoint is that drug laws in the various jurisdictions vary greatly, and in the area of adjudication, the judiciary is viewed as having few alternatives from which to choose in dealing with the pusher-addict; also, court delays cause considerable loss in enforcement productivity. In the treatment and rehabilitation aspect, police are convinced that many drug rehabilitation programs are poorly administered, and there is little confidence in the methadone maintenance approach. Illinois has a drug law enforcement program that has established seven multijurisdictional narcotic enforcement units, which rely upon State and local support. Each unit has a governing board consisting of the chief administrators of the various agencies which contribute personnel or financial support to the unit. Each board establishes policy for the unit's operation. Each unit has a number of narcotics agents covertly operating within their respective jurisdictions. The illinois Law Enforcement Commission has recently addressed the issues of bringing the police and the State's Attorneys together to discuss their roles and common problems. No references are listed.