Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

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