Supporting Full Funding for Mobile Enforcement Teams Submitted by: Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee

NDD.002.a09

WHEREAS, the coordinated efforts of federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement, working cooperatively with communities to address drug trafficking and abuse, are recognized as the most effective way to disrupt criminal organizations; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mobile Enforcement Team (MET) programs primary mission is to prioritize investigations targeting illicit drug sources of supply for criminal street gangs and violent crime organizations; and

WHEREAS, criminal street gangs and violent crime are of major concern to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and the MET program addresses this concern by targeting the sources of supply for illicit drugs to these criminal organizations in an effort to dismantle or disrupt them; and

WHEREAS, MET teams are dispatched to areas that have a high incidence of violent crime related to street-level drug trafficking, areas plagued by a high volume of drug trafficking and areas of drug distribution around schools, playgrounds and other areas where youths congregate; and

WHEREAS, since the inception of the program, MET teams have been successful in reducing the impact of drug-related violence in diverse communities ranging from large metropolitan areas to smaller jurisdictions, which include Opa Locka, Florida; Irvington, New Jersey; Muskogee, Oklahoma; Florissant, Missouri; Silver City, New Mexico; and Dickinson, Texas; and

WHEREAS, as state and local law enforcement agencies continue to investigate more crimes with less financial, material, staffing and technical resources, the MET initiative provides critical financial and technical support to investigations; and

WHEREAS, in FY 2008, there were 11 MET deployments, which resulted in the arrest of 310 criminal street gang members and violent criminals and the disruption and dismantlement of 11 drug trafficking organizations; and

WHEREAS, in FY2009, DEA was able to allocate an addition $10,000,000 to train, equip and support the MET initiative, including the addition of four additional MET teams operating throughout the United States; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 116th Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, strongly urges the United States Congress and the Administration to provide continued funding of the MET initiative, as well as an increase in funding to levels permitting DEA to support and expand this essential program.