drug market interventions

drug market interventions

NCLM Annual Conference, October 25-27, 2009 Major Marty A. Sumner

Using Strong Community Partnerships, Intelligence, and Focused Deterrence to Reduce Violent Crime in High Point, North Carolina

The Setting Street drug market is “toxic” to

neighborhoods. There is a direct nexus between street level dealing and violence.

These neighborhoods are known for years as a drug and prostitution market.

They are the target of numerous and regular undercover operations or stings.

Despite numerous arrests the situation persists.

Over time the community has lost faith in the ability of police to impact this problem.

People are afraid.

Eliminating Overt Drug Markets in High Point, NC

The Street Dealers The pressure we apply through law enforcement

does not equal their day to day risks. They expect to be robbed, they expect to be

arrested, JUST NOT EVERY DAY. Selling one dose at a time, to people they do not

know, in competition with others, keeps them armed and on edge. (assaults, armed robbery, home invasions)

They take the community’s apathy or indifference as approval.

They must be brought to a MOMENT OF CHOICE.


Theory and Concepts “Drug Markets” versus the “Drug Problem” Small numbers of drug dealers Nonlinear market dynamics Formal sanctions matter but should be minimized Informal sanctions matter most of all Norms, narratives and persistent

misunderstanding Help matters Vital hidden common ground


Strategic Intervention Directly addressing norms and narratives City-wide strategy with “beachheads” Careful identification of all players Identifying “influentials” Focusing services Creating formal deterrence “banking”

cases Beachheads maintenance Direct communication with dealers



Logic Model

Source: Dr. James M. Frabutt et al., at The Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro serving as the Project Safe Neighborhoods Research Partner for the United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of North Carolina. Supported by PSN funding (Award #2002-GP-CX-0220) through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.

Identification Phase Notification Phase Resource DeliveryCommunity Support Phase

Identification of Target

Geographic Area

ID of Individuals

Operating in Target Area

Undercover Buys

Immediate Prosecution of the Most Violent or

Dangerous

Notification List

Compiled

Community and Police Dialog and Discussion of

the Strategy

Community & Police

Home Visit

Community Focus

Police Focus Eliminate

Overt Markets

ReduceDrug and Violent Crimes

Resource Coordinator

Notification Session “Call-in”

Operational Steps:

1. Crime Mapping2. Survey3. Incident Review4. Undercover Operations5. Mobilize Community6. Contact with Offender’s Family7. Call-in / Notification8. Enforcement9. Follow Up



2003 All Layers Combined Density Map

West EndWest End

SouthsideSouthside

Daniel BrooksDaniel Brooks

East CentralEast Central

Step 2: Survey Survey police officers, probation

officers, vice officers and community members to identify dealers

Identify locations as well as persons Create master list of dealers and

locations from the surveys Small number of dealers in each area:

West End 26 Daniel Brooks 21 Southside 25 East Central 36


Step 3: Incident Review

Vice/Narcotics detectives conduct a complete incident review of all dealers

All reports, contacts with police and intelligence are examined through link analysis

The list of offenders is refined to include only the street dealers based on the review…


…refining the list of dealers Is the dealer still active? In this area?

Street level or mid-level? History of violence? Pending charges? As many as ten were dropped from each

master list. Our final list for each area included:


CALL-INCALL-IN

West End - 12West End - 12

Daniel Brooks - 9Daniel Brooks - 9

Southside – 22Southside – 22

East Central - 26East Central - 26

TICK

ET

PROSECUTIONPROSECUTION

West End - 4West End - 4

Daniel Brooks - 4Daniel Brooks - 4

Southside – 6Southside – 6

East Central - 6East Central - 6

ADM

IT O

NE

Step 4: Undercover Operations

Each location and offender is investigated

Drug houses are photographed Undercover purchases are made

from individuals, each buy is videotaped with audio

The investigation requires only a judge’s signature to make the arrest


Step 5: Mobilize Community Commitment City Council members,

the Mayor and the City Manager are briefed

A series of public meetings are scheduled in the target area

Strategy shared fully with the community: “Is this something you will support?”


Step 5: Building Community Trust Building community capacity and

leadership Acknowledge that traditional enforcement

tactics were not effective and caused unintended harm to community

Community has to set the social standards for their neighborhood

Promises have been made and broken Focus on new way of doing business and

reconciliation


Step 6: Contact With Offender’s Family

Identify “influentials” Small groups of Officers, Community

members and Clergy visit immediate family members of the offender Explain goals, invite family to participate Join in asking offender to quit Family encouraged to attend call-in

Letter from Chief


Step 7: Call in/Notification

Face-to-Face notification with offenders, community (HPCAV) and law enforcement (VCTF).

Strong community voice; “you’re ours, you’re doing wrong, you need to stop and we’ll help you”

Law enforcement delivers a two pronged message: Drug dealing and violence will no longer be tolerated Offenders are hereby put on official notice – “you

could be arrested now, you will be arrested if we know you are back at it”

Through a resource coordinator they are offered community-based help


Citizen Group (HPCAV) HPCAV 501c3 Weed and Seed Public Defender County Schools Sickle Cell Disease Assoc. Community Development Guilford Community College Batts Consultants Central Carolina Legal

Services CHILDWATCH Family Services Crisis Women’s Shelter United Way

HP Regional Health System Guilford County Mental Health ASK Employment Security

Commission Adult Protective Services Alcohol & Drug Services Numerous Ministries HUD High Point University Center for the Study of Social

Issues Caring Services All State and Federal Law

Enforcement


Step 8: Enforcement

Officers and Community are careful to watch for the first signs of drug dealing

Immediate investigation of drug complaints; additional officers are assigned to the area for the first few weeks

Informants revisit confirmed drug locations Any complaints involving a notified offender

result in the warrants being signed and their arrest

District Attorney assigned one prosecutor to these cases


Step 9: Follow Up Follow up contact is made with offenders to

see if they are getting the help they need Community members are encouraged to keep

in contact with notified offenders. Mentors are assigned

Newsletters / Flyers to the community contain information of arrests or success stories

Officers attend community watches in the area Property owners notified of nuisance

abatement



Quantitative Analysis

Pre Call in Post Call in100 D

ays

150 Days

200 Days

250 Days

300 Days

Etc

365 Days

Etc

365 Days

300 Days

250 Days

200 Days

100 Days

150 Days

Notification / Call-in


Violent Crime Change West End Neighborhood

Decrease over 4 years: 57%


Drug Crime Change West End Neighborhood

Decrease over 4 years: 25%

Changes in Crime Over the Last 565 Days in West End

-150

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

250

Part I

Homicide

Rape

Robbery

Assault

All Dru

gs

Drug Equp

Drug Counter

Drug M

anu

Drug Poss

Drug Sales

Drug Other

Burglary

Prost

Sex Crim

es

Stolen Pro

p

Weapons

PrePost% Change


Fifteen Year Analysis of Violent Crime City-wide


Qualitative

Markets closed overnight! Bible school attendance up at English Road

Baptist Church Calls for service increased 5% but type of calls

has shifted 911 caller on homicide has change of heart,

converts from reluctant witness Defendant complains he cannot provide

substantial assistance No homicides, rapes, or gun assaults in target

area since the call-in Sustained for over 4 years, replicated in Daniel

Brooks, Southside, & East Central neighborhoods


Tracking Notified Offenders


20032003 20062006

Communication With Community Maintain the hyper sensitive lines of

communication with the community members and leaders

Published a single contact number for police allowing citizens to report activity

Newsletter for continued updates Flyers informing new members of the

neighborhood about the initiative Attend neighborhood watch meetings


Contact with Offenders Helping to keep the pressure on,

reminding them what behavior we will not tolerate, they know they are not forgotten High Point Community Against Violence Through the Resource Coordinator Community Outreach Officers Probation Officers

Assigned to mentors Notification of offenders returning from

prison to the neighborhood


Communication With Beat Officers Assembly room bulletin board MDT messages Bi-weekly meetings Supervisors on opposite rotations

responsible for coordinating activity Intranet Blog


Immediate Response To Threats Major case review of all Part 1 offenses Immediate response to drug complaints

Personal notification to residents of complaint location, flyer and strong message

Attempt consent search “knock & talk” High visibility disruption of business Undercover buy and search warrant

Response to prostitution


Monitoring Physical Conditions Of The Neighborhood Vacant houses reported to

Inspections and boarded up Insufficient street lighting reported Trash removed Unkept yards Graffiti covered over or removed Condemned houses demolished


Outcomes

Focused and data driven, seen as fair by the community (redeemable)

Not a traditional police crackdown, community regains faith in police, community capital

Results were immediate SUSTAINABLE Shares responsibility for community safety

with the community and holds the offenders accountable

Decrease in violent crime was substantial New mutual understandings and racial

dialogue



QUESTIONS?

Major Marty A. SumnerChief of StaffHigh Point Police Department1009 Leonard AveHigh Point, NC [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

drug market interventions