NCJ Number
178320
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 47 Issue: 6 Dated: June 1999 Pages: 121-124
Date Published
June 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article looks at the successes and problems of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) system.
Abstract
HIDTA was created to get law enforcement at the Federal, State and local level focused on attacking drug trafficking and associated crimes instead of fighting turf wars. The individual departments pay line officers' base salaries with overtime; support services and equipment are picked up by the HIDTA. Each geographic area has a HIDTA, with its own board of directors. One of the better support systems for officers working for HIDTA directors or local police within the HIDTA region is the Watch Center. The Center in the Washington/Baltimore area does record checks through government, financial, and commercial databases, and maps and documents ongoing investigative targets. Problems with the HIDTA system include unfocused mission statements and the largeness of the bureaucracy. HIDTA started with a focus on national drug smugglers, added urban drug dealers, proceeded to urban crimes in general, and has recently entered the retail police supply business.