As in previous posts, I am going to break the entries up so as not to be so cluttered. First topic covered in Week 10 is Directed Patrol Unit. A separate entry will be for Canine (K-9) Officers and finally an entry will be specific to Gang Identification.
Captain Baker kicked off the class with a brief introduction and then handed off to Sergeant Tom Reddin who put the new guy (Deputy Andy Blake) on the spot to give the presentation. Assisting with the presentation were Master Deputy Mark Burns and Sergeant Dan Fretz. (It was nice to finally meet you Mark! Guess I can't call you figment anymore... :))
The primary goal of the Directed Patrol Unit is conducting criminal interdiction, investigations and arrests of those responsible for the use, possession, sale, manufacture, and distribution of illegal narcotics. In addition, the Directed Patrol Unit provides Deputies to the Kansas City Drug Enforcement Administration High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and to the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force.
DPU consists of:
- A Captain
- A Lieutenant
- A Sergeant
- 9 Deputies, 2 are attached to a task force and 2 are attached to the canine teams
- Administrative Aide
Responsibilities of DPU include Patrol, Education, County Wide Assistance with Narcotics (Interviews, Surveillance, Search Warrants, Knock & Talks, etc) and Vice Operations (Prostitution, Alcohol/Tobacco - sale, possession and distribution of).
Johnson County sees approximately 3% of the illegal drugs coming in to the US. Don't be deceived by that percentage! Here's a snapshot of what was seized in 2010 by the DEA and assisting agencies:
Calendar Year
|
Cocaine (kgs)
|
Heroin (kgs)
|
Marijuana (kgs)
|
Methamphetamine (kgs)
|
Hallucinogens (dosage units)
|
2010
|
29,179
|
690
|
722,476
|
2,067
|
2,578,935
|
Do the math and you will see that even just 3% of the above is a lot of drugs! Interstate 35 is a main corridor of drug trafficking because of it's span North/South across the US. The reason why DPU focuses much of their effort on drug/criminal interdiction is because criminals are most vulnerable in transit and they are human so that means that even they have to sleep! What better opportunity to catch a criminal than when they are most vulnerable?
The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution is what governs law enforcements ability to search and seize drugs. Officers must have Reasonable Suspicion or Probable Cause. Exceptions to the search warrant requirement include: Consent to Search; Plain View; Search Incident to Arrest; Auto Search; Stop and Frisk; Emergency; Inventory Search. Many people will allow a Consent to Search either because they believe they are already caught or that they have hidden the drugs so well the officers won't find it.
JCSO works with DEA and the HIDTA task forces to try and identify narcotics and $ couriers through roadside investigations. Communication is a key factor in cooperation between different agencies and communities in the effort to win the war against drugs.
Someone asked the question who to contact if we see or know of criminal activity and the response was to call the Sheriff's Office or 911. Here is a little more info directly from their web page:
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office welcomes any assistance by the public to aide in the investigation and disruption of criminal activity in the greater Johnson County area. If you have any knowledge of illegal activity involving narcotics, individuals, groups, or any information of interest you can contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office through our website, or call 913-715-5200 or through the tips hot line 1-816-474-TIPS (8477). All information will be treated as confidential and your identity will remain anonymous.
Additional phone numbers:
- DPU Contact number (913) 715-5584 (M-F)
- On-call Officer (913) 715-5582 (24 hrs)
Next up is K-9 Officers......
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