This dissertation discusses the background and concepts of intelligence led policing (ILP) and its constructive application into joint team operations involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. By examining the historical significance of drug trafficking in United States, this research appreciates the impact that ILP has contributed to tracking down drug consignments such as the Philadelphia cocaine seizure. Two major research processes have been used including a qualitative analysis of the ILP phenomenon and a related case study on the Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal Cocaine Seizure. Data is derived from reputable sources including journal articles, federal agency websites, and books related to the subject. ILP has yielded substantial improvements in identifying potential drug trafficking events.
Final Comprehensive Research Paper
Introduction
Drug trafficking crimes have intensified requiring law enforcement agencies to integrate their policing approaches with intelligence-led policing (ILP) (Ratcliffe, 2016). Law enforcement faces an ever-changing landscape in the fight against drug trafficking. Data driven law enforcement relies on two crucial concepts namely intelligence led policing and predictive policing (Ratcliffe, 2016). ILP is a policing model that utilizes technological advancements in data collection from reputable sources to obtain valuable intelligence that can be used by agencies to direct their resources towards beneficial risk management practices (Ratcliffe, 2016). The 9/11 attacks revealed that the US was inadequately prepared to handle intelligence operations at a high efficiency level. Since then, the government has directed a substantial amount of funds, personnel, and research towards developing constructive changes to intelligence collection (Ratcliffe, 2016). Most of these efforts have been mainly focused at the federal level; however, similar interventions are being carried out on the community, state, and local level to enhance collaboration between federal and state law enforcement agencies. The Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal cocaine seizure is an example of a successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement utilizing an intelligence-led policing (Ratcliffe, 2016). While concern has been raised that federal intelligence activities can undermine community policing initiatives, modern intelligence-led policing approaches integrating multilevel agencies, create an entirely different approach from traditional intelligence models, in curbing drug trafficking.
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Background Information on the Drug Trafficking Issue
Drug trafficking in the United States can be traced back to the 19 th Century. The main substances in this trade have been marijuana, cocaine, and opium often cultivated, packaged, and distributed from hotspots in Latin America and Afghanistan (Ratcliffe, 2016). US efforts in trying to interdict drug trafficking is abysmal and often criticized for misusing funds on incompetent policies. Since the 1950s, American Mafia families have been smuggling and selling drugs within American borders (Sacco, 2014). Soldiers, who arrived from Vietnam in the 1960s, retuned with heroin addiction problems. Research conducted in 1971 indicated that about 15% of all soldiers who had been to Vietnam were active heroin users and often smoked marijuana (Sacco, 2014). Thereafter, President Nixon declared the war on drugs in 1971, citing it as America’s biggest national threat following an unprecedented increase in overdose and drug related incarcerations (Sacco, 2014). Pablo Escobar and his brothers intensified drug trafficking in the United States through the Medellin Cartel, which was based in Columbia (Sacco, 2014). Ever since, drug trafficking in the United States has been orchestrated by large cartels such as the Panamanian Drug Trade, Cali cartel, El Chapo and the Mexican Drug Cartel and the Gulf cartel.
Concepts of ILP
Intelligence-led policing was first introduced in the United States in the 1990s due to increased complexities in serious and organized crime. According to Zannier (2020), promising results have encouraged law enforcement agencies to consolidate intelligence-led policing methodologies to their intelligence collecting models and management of federal and state agencies (Ratcliffe, 2016). Intelligence-led policing mainly aims at collecting, evaluating, and interpreting data and information into efficient intelligence. Collection of reliable data is the first main concept that intelligence-led policing must satisfy in order to make informed and evidence-based decisions (Ratcliffe, 2016). Intelligence-led policies are effectively implemented through problem clarity. To design a policy that provides a lasting solution one must be well conversant with the problem at hand. It is simply not enough to know a community, the law enforcement officer must interact and integrate himself into the area of concern before developing a strategic plan of action (Sacco, 2014). Active collaboration is an effective pillar to intelligence-led policing success. Tackling a critical issue such as drug trafficking requires active involvement of local, state and federal agencies (Zercoe, 2018). Agencies that form a partnership are more likely to utilize their diverse skill set and talents to organize a coordinated effort against crime events.
Sustainable intelligence-led policing requires command commitment from all subordinates in an agency. Success is dependent on development of a sustainable and capable leadership model. Effective intelligence relies on collection of information that provides substantial input on the probability of threats (Zercoe, 2018). Risk identification and management is intended to be proactive and look for information in places that would not be considered in a traditional intelligence collection methodology (Zercoe, 2018). Information sharing is closely related to active collaboration, where one agency must rely on another for data to supplement their own research. The Regional information sharing system (RISS), gives access to a wide database of interlinked agencies actively sharing information on potential threats (Zercoe, 2018). Having clearly defined goals is vital for intelligence-led policing in setting direction and guidance. Internet led policies must be implemented through result-oriented tactics and strategies (Huber, 2019). Long-term and short-term tactics to avoid vague notions of success. Investigations must be holistic by moving beyond the normal perspective of a traditional intelligence collection model. For example, drug trafficking may also be closely related with property crimes.
The Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal Cocaine Seizure
Federal authorities working with local state law enforcement uncovered one of the largest cocaine hauls in the history of United States fight against drug trafficking (Roebuck, 2019). Agents discovered more than 35000 pounds of cocaine, packed in seven shipping containers, hidden among vegetables, wine, Chilean dried nuts and scrap metal (Roebuck, 2019). The cocaine had a market value of approximately $1 billion (Sacco, 2014). The consignment was seized from a large container ship belonging to the Mediterranean shipping company, based in Geneva. The ship’s one-month long journey begun in Guatemala making stops in the Bahamas, Colombia, Peru, Panama and ended abruptly in the port of Philadelphia (Roebuck, 2019). Durasevic, one of the crew members arrested, indicated that the consignment was headed for the Netherlands (Roebuck, 2019). He also indicated that it was not his first attempt at trafficking cocaine, having received $50000 for trafficking a similar amount to Europe (Roebuck, 2019). The operation involved federal officers, the US customs and border protection control, homeland security investigators, Philadelphia local authorities and coast guard officials (Roebuck, 2019). The multiagency team launched an investigation after identifying anomalies in about seven containers on the ship. Ivan Durasevic and Fonofaavae Tiasaga were arrested and federally charged for possession of controlled substances in an area under US jurisdiction (Roebuck, 2019). Durasevic indicated that the consignment had been loaded onto the ship in Peru through six boats that delivered the drugs at night (Roebuck, 2019). Gayane, another crewmember, had received a $50000 bribe to allow loading of the cocaine onto the ship (Roebuck, 2019).
Through a carefully orchestrated plan, the intelligence-led policing approach implemented by the multiagency team that coordinated the raid achieved exemplary results (Roebuck, 2019). The investigation involved at least six cities, state and federal agencies including the federal authorities, US border Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security investigators (Roebuck, 2019). When questioned about their record-breaking discovery, the team made vague references to intelligence partners providing the information that a large consignment of cocaine was headed for Philadelphia. Marlon Miller, leader of the team and the Philadelphia branch of Homeland Security indicated that the vague details were meant to protect the intelligence sources.
Issue Analysis
Concepts of intelligence-led policing were effectively applied into the investigation. Active collaboration among the partnering agencies allowed for a holistic investigation (Ratcliffe, 2016). Federal prosecutors liaised with their counterparts on the state level, reporting a successfully planned operation. As indicated by Ratcliffe (2016), no single agency in the modern world can maintain high efficacy levels when working alone. Data driven intelligence-led policing has been in use for decades, but in a more rudimentary form that limited functionality and productivity during investigation and intelligence collection programs (Ratcliffe, 2016). Current sophisticated technology facilitates more comprehensive intelligence-led policing implementation. The Philadelphia team used their contacts in other countries, local agencies, coast officials, drug-sniffing dogs, and X-ray monitoring devices to carry out an extensive investigation.
Concepts Implementation in the Case
The practice of intelligence-led policing works effectively if core concepts are applied appropriately in an investigation model. The Philadelphia Packer Marine Terminal Cocaine Seizure productively incorporated the concepts resulting in a highly successful drug raid (Roebuck, 2019). The main concern with creating a multi-agency team is whether individuals working in liaison would survive a change of command. In this case, the team was led by Philadelphia head of homeland security, Marlon Miller, a familiar entity in the region in which the investigation was carried out (Roebuck, 2019). By doing so, the team was more cooperative under the leadership of an individual familiar with the area of concern. According to Zercoe (2018), an internal succession plan requires installation of a chief executive with adequate tenure in office. Marlon Miller met those qualifications having been a special agent in charge of the Philadelphia branch of Homeland Security Investigations for four years (Sacco, 2014). The selected team had adequate problem clarity and accurate understanding of what they were looking for according to the intelligence received from their protected sources. Drug trafficking investigations often fail when the officers dwell too much on identifying the gang leaders and enforcers rather than the drugs (Sacco, 2014). The drugs seized in Philadelphia were dusted by coast guard officials swabbed the crew for cocaine residue to tie the crewmembers to the evidence (Sacco, 2014). Cocaine residue was found on Ivan Durasevic’s hands and arms indicating he had been involved in packing the drugs into the containers.
Law enforcement officials depended on a high level of cooperation between the partnering agencies to carry out active collaboration (Sacco, 2014). A total of six agencies including the U.S Customs and Border Patrol agents, federal prosecutors, homeland detectives, city and state law enforcers and the coast officials combined to carry out a joint operation resulting in an impressively planned out intelligence collection and assessment process (Zercoe, 2018). Success is achieved by establishing a network of cooperation between individuals from different level agencies. The team collected information from reliable sources satisfying the requirements of effective intelligence verification and analysis (Sacco, 2014). Agency operations often stress the importance of incorporating a dedicated intelligence capacity that carefully assesses the credibility of every source (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Law enforcement officers all around the globe collect a substantive amount of information (Sacco, 2014). Collaboration requires open disclosure of information to facilitate continuous flow of intelligence in the investigation process (Zercoe, 2018). Successful programs operate under clearly defined objectives to develop an elaborate plan of action. Marlon’s team ensured a steady flow of data throughout the operation.
Sweet Spots in the Case
Multiagency approach in the case improved problem-solving capabilities through the implementation of a holistic approach during intelligence collection (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Law enforcement officers involved in the investigation were able to achieve understanding and trust between their counterparts from other agencies. Professionals focused on collecting, analyzing, and deriving credible intelligence from the sources enabling evidence-based decisions (Zercoe, 2018). The joint efforts involved highly skilled knowledgeable individuals who combined to come up with a commendable operation. Officers were also held accountable for all their actions and achieving their objectives. Research indicates that law enforcement officers are more self-driven once they see the results of their efforts (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). It creates a motivated workforce willing to go beyond their objectives and achieve the desired outcome. Miller presided over a competent group of investigators focused on achieving a level of sustainability through continuous assessment of the process (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). The law of diminishing returns requires that for a program to achieve initial success, involved parties must keep tweaking it, in order to overcome the effects of diminished success that result from carrying out a long-term operation.
Hard Spots for the Case
Implementation of the intelligence-led policing encountered some issues while interacting with a more complex criminal environment. Crimes have become complicated in the modern world requiring more intelligent individuals and approaches to match the level of sophisticated thinking and planning used by criminals (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). The drug traffickers had travelled through a number of countries making it more difficult to determine when and how the drugs were loaded onto the ship (Roebuck, 2019). Port authorities in Bahamas, Colombia, Peru, Panama, and Guatemala had not detected any of the drugs despite the cargo passing through rigorous port checks in each country (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Corruption has been identified as a significant barrier in the efforts of curbing drug trafficking in America. Detectives had to adapt to the challenging elements of the case while relying on limited intelligence contacts in the countries the MSC ship had met.
Counter Argument on the Thesis
Claims have been raised that intelligence-led policing methodologies impede the effectiveness of community, local and state law enforcement policing initiatives (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Every state has a different standard for their police forces, which work under restrained budgets, inadequate for carrying out extensive intelligence-led policing (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Opposition of intelligence-led policing comes under the argument that incorporating a resource demanding policy into the state level can be too straining on community policing (Carter, 2016). Inadequate funding has been a long-standing complaint from small departments when required to accommodate federal investigations using state funding (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Moreover, most small department agencies tend to have low intelligence capacity and training. Pairing them up with highly trained detectives can lead to an unbalanced team.
To address this argument one should understand that, implementation of an intelligence-led policing model is not just a decision made on the micro and macro level (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). The nature of local government law enforcement requires collective collaboration with federal agencies among other departments on the state level such as the department of homeland security to ensure that the policy implementation process is streamlined (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Chief executives often have more knowledge on intelligence-led policing implementation compared to community and local officers (Ostrauskaite, 2017). Their lack of knowledge can be attributed to resistance towards incorporating new policing methods into their programs. Concepts of intelligence-led policing are closely related to those of community policing, hence easier to implement in a combined level involving a multi-team operation.
Notably, the intelligence-led policing comes with special limitations. Although the police analytical function is an effective tool for offering protection to the public from harmful drugs, activities of information gathering associated with intelligence-led policing tend to infringe on the privacy and civil liberties of individuals (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). The techniques of information gathering demand that police use extremely intrusive methods such as electronic surveillance, undercover operations, informants, and complex intelligence analysis (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). The afore-listed procedures are a threat to civil liberties, privacy, and other human rights. Actually, police intelligence practices within United States have been faced with civil liberties complaints, consent decrees, and lawsuits since their inception (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). In that sense, the threat to privacy, civil liberties, and sections of other human rights is a big impediment facing intelligence-led policing (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). In that sense, it becomes imperative for the police officers to establish protection of privacy and civil liberties prior to employing intelligence-led policing (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). In fact, the process of information gathering is an essential function during policing (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). Intelligence activities are areas where the law officers utilize considerable discretion that has rarely been subject of review outside the police agencies (Rosenblatt et al., 2005). In that regard, approaching the intelligence process from a discretionary perspective and applying the appropriate training to come up with safeguards, can be helpful in protecting civil liberties and privacy.
Conclusion
The US has gained much needed experience since the Nixon war on drugs begun in 1971. Agencies have been alerted on the importance of incorporating modem intelligence-led policing initiatives into both federal and state to combat the rapidly growing drug trafficking issue. The 9/11 attacks pointed out the united states inefficiencies in intelligence collection and assessment. It laid the foundation of initiatives to improve the intelligence-led policing capability of the homeland security intelligence department. The last decade has seen the government shift its drug control policy towards prevention, treatment, and enforcement. In order to limit the amount of drugs reaching US markets, authorities have identified the requirement of intelligence-led policing implementation in identifying potential risk consignments before they get close to the border. The concepts of intelligence-led policing are designed to ensure that a multi-team approach runs smoothly without facing potential barriers such as rejection of a new leader and inadequate intelligence due to agencies withholding information. Some of the vital concepts necessary for intelligence-led policing success include command commitment, problem clarity, active collaboration, effective intelligence, information sharing, and holistic investigation. Joint operations should develop a culture of continuous assessment by carrying on subsequent investigations to identify missed information after the case is closed. Proper implementation through integrating multilevel agencies can establish a highly competent approach against sophisticated drug trafficking used in the modern day crime environment.
References
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