Drug Enforcement
Obviously there is a serious problem with drugs in Wicomico County and really all over the Eastern Shore of Maryland and the country. However we have not addressed many of these issues. Liberals would have you believe that drug abuse is a problem that is caused by society or to be more exact a differentiation between classes of society. Therefore, the only thing that people have to turn to is drugs. Bullshit.
While it may be very, very difficult to "rise from the hood" to a decent place in society there are plenty of people that reside in very bad areas of Salisbury that go to college and more power to them because those people are trying to better themselves. Even though they are using student aid loans, that is what the money is therefore and it is accessible by anyone to use. People can make the best of a situation or the worst of one (i.e. using/selling drugs). However, this still does little to address the problem.
First, we need to stem the flow of drugs into the Country and we have a feeling that a lot of drugs are coming in through container shipments from large shipping vessels. These containers can be short stacked to contain large quantities of drugs. With large ships caring thousands of containers per trip it is impossible to check each one for dangerous items. However, we have to start doing a better job of it. Put all the containers when off loading past drug dogs for a quick scan and flag them if drug odors are detected.We have not seen a rapid increase in Meth production but it is happening and many law enforcement officers do not know how to effectively deal with it when it arrives full steam. This is a particular hazard due to the nature of the drug in it's production with explosive potential.
Within the county we have to do a better job of controlling street level distribution. Frequently we have seen open air drug markets such as on Delaware Ave, Church Street, Booth, West, Olivia, Smith, and many other areas within the city. Salisbury City Police used to have a "ZERO" squad where a team of officers would ride around and perform jump outs on suspected criminals establishing a "zero" tolerance policy. This was particularly effective yet not particularly attractive politically. However, a combined agency jump out team, or several of them, patrolling five random days a week, would rapidly put a stop to open air drug sales. We would also add undercover buys from task force. Of course to do all this agencies need manpower, proper weapons, several vehicles (rentals would do well) and ballistic protection.
Drug sales would suddenly recede into peoples houses. Drug dealers would be more reluctant to invite users into their residences on a daily basis to provide them with drugs or at the least it would remove the open air drug market environment with less people carrying weapons for protection against drug or cash robberies. The drug task force is also woefully understaffed for this drug saturated environment.
Posts
5 comments:
great idea, but will NEVER happen. one of the things the sheriff promised when he was elected was to institute a unit to combat drugs. Well, three years later, one ACE team dismantled later, and NOTHING has happened. Another disappointment.
Substations that don't exist. In Mardela and Pittsville.
What is needed is a street level drug interdiction team. Not ACE. ACE is a joke - hit and miss pot luck. Street level interdiction teams who work closely with COPP units and the task force would quickly push drug dealers indoors AND develop CI's for use by the task force to kick the doors of those houses being used by the dealers after being forced indoors. COPP units can help identify those who have sold dope to U/C's with camera cars.
Every so often have a swoop and scoop operation. U/C's from out of the area buy dope from dealers on the corner and immediately call a description to the aforementioned interdiction team working with members of the patrol division. They swoop in and scoop up the dealers and their dope. The taskforce can then try to flip these idiots and get further info valuable to the cause. Next day, a little reversal. Put U/C's out on those same corners with diluted dope to sell to potential buyers. When people drive up to buy, let them puchase and go around the corner, have them stopped by the interdiction and uniformed folks and arrest them for possession and conspiracy. Seize their vehicles as an instrument of the crime (if little or nothing is owed on it), add forfeiture of the vehicle as a condition of any plea and auction it off. We can simultaneously address the supply and the demand sides as well as get information that could clear many cases. What do you think of that?
Excellent comment. they do buy bust camera car operations now with "swoop and scoop" but only one or twice a year which has almost no effect on cutting out the open air drug market atmosphere. As we said it would push drug sales indoors but must be done on a regular basis several times a week. Apparently it is not a priority because it has not been prioritized. The ace team was good for seizing money to fund other things. However with very few people working it it was totally ineffective.
I agree but with a street level drug interdiction unit the seizure of money would be happen more often. Perhaps not as much per seizure but it would add up rapidly. To be honest, it escapes me that a team such as this wouldn't be implemented for just the seizure potential alone. It would require direct dialogue with the taskforce with a Sgt. in charge to assure that each entity compliments one another by coordinating efforts. I don't think it should operate under the supervision of the task force because Alan already has a difficult time just serving multiple masters. If a street level multi jurisdictional interdiction team were implemented with it's own Sgt. as a counterpart to Alan, I think the heat from the masters would be less intense on one person and a lot would be accomplished. Also, regular meetings with commanders of local criminal divisions or their designees could be held to keep the two aforementioned teams abreast of non drug related criminal activities so that post arrest debriefings would not be limited to drug crimes. Since bad people do bad things over and over, the potential exists to clear burglary and theft cases by questioning those arrested for drug offenses about those crimes as well. Why waste an opportunity?
Post a Comment