Pubdate: Fri, 27 May 2005
Source: Herald News (NJ)
Copyright: 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.northjersey.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2911
Author: Heather Kays

ELMWOOD PARK GETS UPPER HAND IN DRUG WAR

ELMWOOD PARK - A few years back, gangs, drugs and violent crimes were
on the rise in the borough.

But a two-man narcotics squad formed at the beginning of 2004 put a
stop to it.

The decrease in violent crimes is directly tied to the increase in
narcotics arrests that have been made by the squad, Police Chief Don
Ingrasselino said.

"We were beginning to have a real problem with drugs about four years
ago," Ingrasselino said. "Then there were muggings and robberies on
River Drive and Market Street. There was a stabbing, and violent
crimes were increasing. It's directly related."

Since January, Detectives Mike Kassai and Mark D'Amore have made 53
drug arrests. There have been 80 drug charges filed, ranging from
distribution of controlled dangerous substances to possession of drug
paraphernalia. Eleven other charges, including burglary, theft and
resisting arrest, have been lodged against those arrested in drug busts.

"We've had a 100 percent conviction rate," said D'Amore, adding that
the borough has not lost a single criminal case since the squad was
formed. More than 250 arrests have been made in that time.

"Decreasing narcotics activity can be a prime factor in decreasing
street crime," said Clay Searle, president of the International
Narcotics Interdiction Association, a Los Angeles-based non-profit
educational organization made up of local, state, federal and foreign
police officers and customs agents.

"There is a direct link between narcotics and violent crime and
narcotics and property crime," Searle said. "You can almost look at a
city or town's narcotic problem and immediately know what kind of
crime problem they have."

The squad uses four techniques to thwart drug crimes in Elmwood Park,
police said. The first is surveillance, in which Kassai and D'Amore
follow and watch suspects. The second is undercover cases. The third
is narcotics interdiction, in which they perform criminal
investigations after motor vehicle stops. The last method is pursuing
anonymous tips.

Kassai has been a police officer for 12 years, and was a juvenile
officer assigned as a school resource officer before he became a part
of the narcotics squad. D'Amore has been an officer for six years and
worked for the Paterson Police Department for 2= years, before coming
to Elmwood Park as a patrolman.

"We try to intervene and help the people we've arrested after the
fact," Kassai said. "We help them get into programs and to work toward
rehabilitation. We don't just lock them up and walk away."

The narcotics squad has confiscated $23,360 worth of drugs this year,
including marijuana, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and Ecstasy. Since
January, an additional 21 arrests, resulting in dozens of charges,
were made in conjunction with other agencies, Kassai said.

"We've assisted the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the Bergen
County Narcotics Task Force, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office,
the Paterson Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff's Department and
the New Jersey State Police," said Kassai. "We work hand in hand with
these guys all the time."

Though larger cities have for years turned to narcotics squads to
combat increasing crime, it is less common for smaller municipalities
like Elmwood Park, with a population of about 19,000.

Paterson, Passaic and Clifton - as well as the Bergen and Passaic
County sheriff's departments - all run successful narcotics squads. In
comparison with Elmwood Park, where the entire police budget is $4
million, they are all larger outfits, with more manpower, resources,
equipment and money.

But this may not be the best solution for all municipalities.

"To create a drug unit or task force may not be the most efficient for
smaller towns with less drug activity," said Saddle Brook Police Chief
Robert Kugler. "Reassigning officers to specifically concentrate on
narcotics would not be as effective in Saddle Brook."

Instead, Kugler assigns one officer at a time to the Bergen County
Narcotics Task Force, so they can receive training to be used in
narcotics investigations when they return to Saddle Brook.

"That way we can utilize the resources, equipment and knowledge
available on the county level," Kugler said. "There's also many more
narcotic investigations on that level, so the officers gain valuable
experience."

But most police officials agree there is a connection between drug use
and other criminal activity.

"Muggings, armed robberies and other criminal activity is often
related to drug abusers trying to feed their habit," said Capt. Robert
Rowan of the Clifton Police Department.

In Clifton, a focus on narcotics began in 2002. Since then, five
detectives and one sergeant have averaged 450 arrests per year and
have filed thousands of charges.

The busts included the takedown of a large heroin operation in July
2004. Ten kilos of heroin were confiscated after a ring of drug
traffickers was found to have been transporting flower boxes from
Ecuador that were soaked in heroin. The drug was being extracted with
a chemical solution in the bathtub of a city apartment.

"It was the largest narcotics seizure in the history of the city of
Clifton and one of the largest in Passaic County," said Rowan.

Ingrasselino is just glad that violent crimes are dramatically
decreasing on his turf. "This squad has definitely made an impact. ...
We were beginning to have a problem, but we turned it around."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin