NCJ Number
217832
Journal
Law and Order: The Magazine for Police Management Volume: 55 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 24,28,30
Date Published
February 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article offers tips for preparing small communities for controlled substances investigations.
Abstract
The main point of the article is that small police departments must develop an operational plan to prepare their small communities for narcotics enforcement. This plan should include three main components: (1) a media relations component; (2) a community education component; and (3) an educational component for officers and other department staff. The first hurdle regarding controlled substances enforcement in small communities is to identify that there is a problem. One way of ascertaining a substance abuse problem in a small community is to compare the number of drug overdoses at the local hospital with the number of individuals requesting assistance for substance abuse problems at local counseling centers. If there are more overdoses than people seeking assistance, it can be assumed the community has a serious substance abuse problem. Investigation techniques that work in larger populations, such as undercover operations and confidential informants, simply do not work in small towns with less than 5,000 people. Instead, an operational plan must be developed that prepares the community to accept its substance abuse problem and respond to the problem appropriately. Media relations can help inform the community of the problem and emphasize the need for enforcement efforts. Educational campaigns can help inform the local population about the nature and consequences of drug abuse while a similar in-house educational campaign can help inform officers and other department staff of the problem and the need for proactive solutions. Exhibits