Pubdate: Sun, 08 Mar 2015
Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ)
Copyright: 2015 East Valley Tribune.
Contact: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/opinion/submit_a_letter/
Website: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2708
Author: Bill Richardson
Note: Retired Mesa master police officer Bill Richardson lives in the 
East Valley.

RICHARDSON: POLICE NEED TO DEVELOP NEW TACTIC TO FIGHT DRUG TRAFFICKING

The Tempe Police Department announced yet another big drug bust 
involving Mexican drug cartels. This has to be the third or fourth 
announcement by police touting monumental success in the "war on 
drugs."  Police told the media the "30-month investigation that 
resulted in the dismantling of what investigators described as an 
extensive drug trafficking network that stretched from Sinoloa, 
Mexico, to Phoenix, Los Angeles and Indianapolis."

After being involved in the "war on drugs"  for the majority of my 
police and post retirement career investigating drugs and drug use 
for a major international corporation, my opinion of local law 
enforcement mounting time and cost consuming operations on major drug 
trafficking organizations based in Mexico, or any other country, is 
somewhat low. Drugs are here and they aren't going away, not now, not 
ever. I don't care how many flashy and boastful press releases the police make.

While the police were slapping themselves on the back over the arrest 
of 77 defendants during the nearly three-year investigation, one can 
only imagine how many packets of heroin were peddled on the streets 
of Tempe that were purchased with proceeds from the city's nearly 
10,000 burglaries, robberies and thefts. The Tempe PD and the U. S. 
Drug Enforcement Administration aren't going to stop or even slow the 
flood of drugs into the United States, Arizona and even Tempe. I 
don't care how many millions police spend to try and accomplish it.

The big bust phenomenon favored by some in law enforcement has been 
around forever. I've heard claims of dismantling networks, cutting 
off the head of the snake, and any number of other bold claims that 
suggest a war-like win over crime. Yet in the 40 plus years I've been 
around the drug business, the bad guys are kicking our butts, their 
wealth has exploded and there will never be a law enforcement 
operation that dismantles an extensive drug trafficking network.

The use of local law enforcement resources chasing drug dealers in 
Mexico and around the country is highly questionable, especially when 
a community has a serious violent and property crime rate and the 
interdiction of drugs somewhere else will have no impact on crime in 
their jurisdiction.

One could ask why local police didn't launch an ongoing undercover 
buy and bust operation that continually targets local criminal 
addicts, their low-level suppliers, gang members and career criminals 
that commit the majority of the serious crime?

Busting those who commit the actual property and violent crime has 
been proven the most effective way to manage and even slow serious 
crime in a community, not chasing the big bust and headlines. Drug 
enforcement in a community like Tempe that has a long history 
involving drugs and gangs is only one part of an anti-crime strategy 
that must include education, awareness and on-demand treatment for 
addiction. Throwing people in jail only solves the problem in the short-term.

While it's not as sexy to talk about treating addicts who commit 
crime to support their addiction, we all know fewer addicts stealing 
and robbing means fewer crimes and fewer victims. With the exploding 
use of prescription painkillers and the extremely potent black tar 
heroin that's produced by the ton in Mexico, Tempe and other 
jurisdictions would be wise to look at enforcement as a part of 
working to manage their drug problem. Addiction is an illness that 
can lead to criminal activity and an illness that can be prevented and treated.

Big busts and the accompanying press conferences with the police 
patting themselves on the back aren't going to solve the crime 
problems that continue to plague a community like Tempe. They never 
have and they never will.

The time has come to take a new approach to dealing with illegal 
drugs and the crimes that accompany their use, especially at the 
local level. The war on drugs was lost years ago. Now we need a war 
on addiction, if we're really serious about dugs and crime.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom