Support for Continued Funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking (HIDTA) Program
WHEREAS, federal programs designed to assist state and local law enforcement agencies have played a vital role in reducing the use of illicit drugs and drug related crime which has resulted in reducing the nation's crime rate; and
WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes that the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program which is administered by the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a partnership among federal, state, and local governments to reduce crime and create safer, more drug resistant communities; and
WHEREAS, ONDCP has authorized twenty-eight areas as HIDTA. HIDTA-designated counties encompass approximately 13 percent of U.S. counties, with HIDTA having a presence in 43 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. These designated HIDTAs exist to provide additional federal resources to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in those areas to help eliminate or reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences; and,
WHEREAS, state and local law enforcement agencies, including those supported by HIDTA or Byrne Grant funding, are on the front lines in confronting international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations which are the most powerful and sophisticated organized crime groups ever to challenge domestic law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, federal state and local law enforcement agencies, including those supported by HIDTA and Byrne Grant funding, also lead investigative and enforcement efforts against the nation’s domestic drug threats including: the cultivation and distribution of high potency marijuana, the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, and the diversion and distribution of prescription drugs; and
WHEREAS, the IACP supports efforts to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system with emphasis on reducing drug abuse, violent crime and serious offenders, and the enforcement of state and local laws similar to those in the Federal Controlled Substances Act; and
WHEREAS, the problems presented by the unprecedented trafficking of drugs by international criminal syndicates continues to be a threat to all areas of the United States, including middle to smaller sized cities, as well as rural areas; and
WHEREAS, much of the violent crime, gang activity and property crime in America is associated with drug trafficking, manufacturing or use; and
WHEREAS, each HIDTA is governed by an Executive Board, comprised of federal, state and local members. These Boards facilitate inter-agency drug control efforts to eliminate or reduce drug threats. The Executive Boards ensure threat specific strategies and initiatives are developed, employed, supported and evaluated. By using this balanced system of governance and the neutrality provided by having the HIDTA Program administered by ONDCP, a non-law enforcement agency, the HIDTA Program fosters a strong and equal partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participating in the program; and
WHEREAS, HIDTA funded programs and initiatives have proven to be invaluable resources for cooperative federal, state and local anti-crime policing strategies. HIDTAs fund multi-jurisdictional drug task forces that give law enforcement access to the latest crime-fighting technologies. HIDTAs also mandate the use of intelligence led policing strategies and tactical deconfliction, to improve efficiency, interagency cooperation, and officer safety; and
WHEREAS, moving the HIDTA Program from the neutrality of the Office of National Drug Control Policy may diminish the system of balanced partnership among the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies participating in the HIDTA Program; and
WHEREAS, a reduction in funding for HIDTA along with those proposed to the Byrne Program and COPS Program will severely affect the ability of state and local law enforcement to continue current drug enforcement and demand reduction efforts; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police strongly urges Congress to maintain funding for the HIDTA Program at the FY 2005 Funding level; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program should continue to be administered by the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy with a continued emphasis on intelligence-led policing and a balanced system of governance which promotes a partnership among federal, state and local participants to address regional drug trafficking and drug related violent crime issues, while encouraging participation in the National Drug Control Strategy.