Deputy squads focus on moral crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, and the sex trade. They investigate situations where the line of illegality may be crossed and may use undercover agents. They can be vulnerable to bribery and are of interest to the public due to popular TV shows.
A deputy squad is a police division that focuses on moral crimes such as gambling, narcotics, pornography, the sex trade, and the illegal sale of alcohol, as opposed to crimes such as fraud, murder, and so on. In many urban areas, where a high incidence of such crimes necessitates a dedicated team, deputy teams can be found, and sometimes smaller police departments will form temporary deputy task forces to deal with the rising rates of such crimes. The size of these teams can vary widely, depending on the size of the department and the amount of coverage required.
Things like gambling, pornography and alcohol aren’t necessarily inherently illegal, but they are strictly regulated. Police teams are in charge of investigating situations where the line of illegality may be crossed, such as pornography with underage performers, illegal gambling operations and the sale of alcohol to minors. In some cases, an officer may be sent undercover to investigate the situation, as these morality crimes are notoriously difficult to track down and prosecute; Undercover agents can work for weeks, months or even years to build a case.
Strict laws prohibit the sale of narcotics and participation in the sex trade in many regions of the world, making it easier to identify criminals. In some regions, both of these crimes are extremely common and police teams may get the impression that they are happening again with a series of raids, arrests and prosecutions. The use of undercover agents is also common, with members posing as prostitutes or drug buyers to ensnare people who participate in these illegal activities.
Sometimes, members of a deputy unit work largely unsupervised, with district administrators allowing the deputy team carte blanche. This can be dangerous at times, as deputy teams can be vulnerable to bribery, especially when less experienced agents are involved. A large amount of money changes hands in the course of committing vice crimes, and many criminals are happy to send some of that money in the direction of the vice squad with the understanding that the officers will look the other way.
The operations of the deputy squad are of great interest even to some ordinary citizens. Television shows such as Miami Vice have popularized the activities of these agents, making it appear as if they are on the streets undercover every night. Indeed, as in other police divisions, members of the deputy squad spend a lot of time in the office doing paperwork, waiting for informants or waiting unnecessarily at various crime hot spots.
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