WHEREAS, drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with 70,237 lethal drug overdoses in 2017; and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States of America declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in late 2017; and

WHEREAS, cocaine availability and use in the United States has rebounded, in large part because of significant increases in coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia, and cocaine-involved overdose deaths in the United States are exceeding 2007 benchmark levels; and

WHEREAS, there is an overabundance of high-purity methamphetamine supply available in the United States’ illicit drug market, and methamphetamine overdose deaths in the United States were 18 times higher in 2017 than in 2000; and

WHEREAS, the problems presented by the unprecedented flow of drugs into this country by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) continue to be a threat in most areas of the United States; and

WHEREAS, most TCO members coordinate transportation and distribution of wholesale quantities of illicit drugs to domestic markets, with retail-level distribution mainly handled by smaller local groups and street gangs; and

WHEREAS, national and neighborhood-based street gangs and prison gangs continue to dominate the market for the street distribution of illicit drugs in their respective territories throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, struggle for control of these lucrative drug trafficking territories continues to be the largest factor fueling the street gang violence, including murder and attempted murder, facing local communities; and

WHEREAS, drug-related murders comprised 24% of all murders associated with another felony in 2017, second only to robbery, according to data reported to the FBI; and

WHEREAS, the National Criminal Victimization Survey found that the number of persons age 12 or older who had been victims of violent crime during the prior six months increased 17% from 2015 to 2017; and

WHEREAS, some jurisdictions are ignoring entire classes of drug offenses based on non-interventionist policies and priorities; and

WHEREAS, there are numerous examples of law enforcement officers in major metropolitan cities being constrained from taking action while observing open and notorious illicit drug dealing based on these non-interventionist policies and priorities; and

WHEREAS, prosecutors are refusing to charge certain drug and drug-related offenses in some jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, for example, some state and local prosecuting offices have announced that they will not file charges for possession of any drug under a certain threshold amount (e.g., two grams) despite still being a criminal offense in their jurisdiction and regardless of surrounding or aggravating circumstances; and

WHEREAS, the democratic process (e.g., legislative action, ballot measures, etc.) determines whether criminal laws relating to drugs should be enacted, repealed, or modified; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement officers and prosecutors have a duty to execute the will of the people by enforcing the criminal laws passed by their legislative branches of government or through other democratic processes to ensure the safety of the populace they are sworn to protect and serve; and

WHEREAS, once the decision to prosecute has been made, federal prosecutors are directed to charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses absent circumstances justifying an exception. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police encourages all law enforcement professionals—including federal, state, and local prosecutors—to vigorously enforce our United States drug laws in recognition and honor of the victims of drug-related crime.

Submitted by: Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs Committee

NDD.13.19