43

VICE, DRUGS, AND ORGANIZED CRIME

Standards in this chapter relate to the control of vice, drugs, and organized crime. These control functions deal with activities that may or may not be related but use investigative methods that are closely related. While some agencies may separate the functions, others may place them in a single organizational component or as additional subfunctions within the criminal investigations function.

Vice control may involve prostitution, illegal use/sale of alcoholic beverages, and the distribution/sale of obscene and pornographic materials. Drug control focuses on the distribution/sale of illegal and controlled substances. Organized crime control should address unlawful activities by members of organized groups or associations engaged in or promoting extortion, theft, fencing, loan sharking, labor racketeering, or other offense for profit, or engaged in supplying illegal goods and services, prostitution, drugs, liquor, weapons—or other unlawful conduct that may include intimidation or corruption.

Organized crime activities are not restricted to large urban areas but can exist in any community where it is possible for a group of persons to establish an organization for criminal activity that provides a continuing financial profit. Investigations into vice, drug, and organized crime offenses can involve tremendous expenditures of time, money, and effort. By establishing criteria with which to evaluate the accuracy and credibility of initial information and determine the scope and relative importance of the problem, the agency can determine which vice, drug, and organized crime offenses should be investigated.

43.1 Administration and Operations

43.1.1 A written directive specifies policies for receiving, processing, and investigating vice, drug, and organized crime complaints, to include:

a. specifying procedures for receiving, and processing, complaints;

b. maintaining a record of complaints received; and

c. maintaining a record of information conveyed to and received from outside agencies.

Commentary: The agency should establish policies and procedures ensuring that each complaint received is recorded and investigated to the fullest extent possible. The directive should include a listing of complaint forms used, information needed, and preliminary actions to be taken. The agency should establish policies for conducting preliminary and follow-up investigations of vice, drug, and organized crime offenses. Every complaint received should be recorded and entered in a complaint filing system with provision for purging after a specified period of time.

It is recognized that some agencies may not have functional responsibility for the investigation of vice, drug, or organized crime activities. Notwithstanding, the agency should have procedures for meeting the standard, even if only in the normal course of the agency’s reporting mechanism.

(M M M M)

 

43.1.2 Records and reports relating to active vice, drug, and organized crime investigations are securely filed and maintained separately from the central records system.

Commentary: The nature of vice, drug, and/or organized crime offenses and the considerable amount of undercover work involved in controlling these offenses contribute to the sensitivity of related records. The agency should keep them secure and limit access to authorized persons only. These records should be assigned central case numbers, but the actual records of an active investigation should be under the control of the person responsible for the function or the CEO.

(M M M M)

43.1.3 The agency’s budget provides for a confidential fund(s) to support the operations of the vice, drug, and organized crime control functions.

Commentary: The nature of the operations of these functions often requires frequent and sometimes large expenditures of money. This can include paying informants, purchasing contraband as evidence, and incurring expenses for surveillance activities and equipment. The intent of this standard is to identify the existence of all such funds and to insure they are strictly administered and accounted for in accordance with standard 17.4.2.

(N/A O M M)

 

43.1.4 A written directive establishes a system for the authorization, distribution, and use of surveillance and undercover equipment.

Commentary: The intent of the standard is to establish a system of controls, policies, and procedures that should prevent unauthorized use and loss of often expensive and sophisticated surveillance equipment.

(O O O O)

 

43.1.5 The agency has written procedures for conducting surveillance, undercover, decoy, and raid operations.

Commentary: The intent of the standard is to have contingency procedures for all types of operations. The procedures can be contained in a single directive or manual or in a series of directives and can be as simple as a checklist or more detailed depending upon the extent of the plans. Those agencies conducting operations as delineated in this standard should at a minimum take into considerations provisions for familiarizing officers with the objectives and details of the operation, the neighborhood, or target area; determining operational procedures for observation, arrests surveillance, documentation and/or video/audio recording, high risk entries; supplying officers with expense funds; establishing means of routine and emergency communication; providing relief, backup, security, and perimeter protection for officers; supplying officers with false identity, disguises, and necessary credentials; obtaining authorization for the raid and use of force; designating a single person as a supervisor and coordinator; making contacts with suspects; searching for and seizing evidence and/or contraband; obtaining coordination and assistance from others both inside and outside of the agency; and agency report requirements.

(M M M M)

 

43.1.6 A written directive establishes procedures for advising the agency’s CEO of vice, drug, and organized crime activities.

Commentary: None.

(O O M M)