Testimony of Jeffrey Harris on February 24, 1983 Concerning the Administration's Establishment of Drug Enforcement Task Forces Before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime

• NCJ Number: 89140
• Author(s): J Harris
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 13 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

One of the principal efforts by the Reagan Administration in drug law enforcement is the establishment of a network of task forces throughout the country to mount an intensive and coordinated campaign against international and domestic drug trafficking and other organized criminal enterprises.

Abstract

The task forces have been established in 12 areas. They are under the direction of the Attorney General and will work closely with State and local law enforcement agencies. They will use the entire battery of resources available through Federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Internal Revenue Service, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; Immigration and Naturalization Service; the Marshals Service; the Customs Service; and the Coast Guard. In some regions, Department of Defense tracking and pursuit capability will be available. The program provides the first major infusion of new agents into the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration in about a decade (about a 25 percent increase in the number of agents devoted to drug work). The new task forces will complement the work of the existing organized crime strike forces. The task forces will focus on destroying the top levels of organized drug trafficking. The organization of the task forces is now in place, and they are becoming operational. The task forces will be at full strength by the end of the summer of 1983. The program is case-oriented, with no bureaucratic excess. Task force efforts will be closely monitored by the Department of Justice and participating agencies. Guidelines have been established to aid this process.