Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

ments are sometimes

ments are sometimes forgotten. However, intelligence from large agencies can assist these departments in their anti-narcotics operations. At the same time, the information they gather can add to the knowledge analyzed to unravel broader cartel operations and strategies. 3. ENSURE POLICE HAVE AC- CESS TO PRESUMPTIVE ANAL- YSIS CAPABILITIES Accurately identifying whether a suspect has narcotics and what they have is critical for police officers. They cannot assume and cannot act without probable cause, meaning they need to be able to quickly identify a substance with certainty. Equipping officers with presumptive analysis equipment will allow them to rapidly identify narcotics on the scene with great accuracy. This will reduce their reliance on larger agencies and laboratories for drug analysis and confirmation and speed up the processing and prosecution of suspects. One proven method of presumptive analysis is Raman Spectroscopy. The Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG), responsible for developing standards, techniques, protocols, and policies for forensically examining seized drugs, considers Raman Spectroscopy a Class A analytical technique for presumptive field testing. 4. CREATE AN INTEGRATED TASK FORCE An integrated approach is a vital component if America is to win the narcotics war, as it empowers authorities to draw on various departments’ skills, methodologies, tactics, and intelligence. The successes experienced by this integrated approach prove that cooperation and collaboration work. The Westchester County Police, in New York, for example, produced results by initiating an integrated task force in 2020 to combat the rising number of fentanyl overdose deaths. The collaborative action achieved remarkable results in only two years. Additionally, federal grants should be specifically designed to assist small town police agencies in meeting the ever-evolving challenges presented by the Mexican cartels as well as the domestic drug trafficking organizations. 5. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Law enforcement alone will never be able to deal with the narcotics scourge. Smaller departments need assistance from other departments but must also capitalize on their most significant asset, the community. Community engagement is a force multiplier as it builds trust in the police service and will see numerous ‘undocumented deputies’ supporting the police simply by going about their daily lives and reporting anything unusual or suspicious. With community engagement and support, law enforcement can avoid a continual uphill battle where the police are designated as ‘the enemy’ and potentially valuable information is withheld. A MULTI-FACETED CONFLICT The battle against Mexican cartels is a complex and multi-faceted engagement. Small towns with limited law enforcement resources can stand up to the threats by using an integrated approach that draws upon and supports the work done by larger agencies, involves the community, and employs the latest technology to support and streamline their work. More than half of America’s police departments, despite their small size, are critical factors in the fight against fentanyl. These departments must work consistently to effectively degrade the cartels’ trafficking strategies and cut their profits. This combined effort will build a defensive wall that will likely push back against the behemoth China has become. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael W. Brown is the global director for counter-narcotics at Rigaku Analytical Devices. He has a distinguished career spanning more than 32 years as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Most recently he was the DEA Headquarters staff coordinator for the Office of Foreign Operations for the Middle East-Europe-Afghanistan-India. Prior to that he served as the country attaché in India and Myanmar providing foreign advisory support for counter narcotic enforcement. He also spent 10 years in Pakistan as a special advisor to the US Embassy on various law enforcement issues. Michael is a graduate of the United States Ranger Training Battalion and has a Master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Technology and Management from the University of Eastern Michigan. Contact him at michael.brown@rigaku.com 20 The Blues - February ‘24

The Blues - February ‘24 21