The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program provides federal resources to local and state law enforcement agencies to reduce drug trafficking. Regions must qualify based on factors such as extensive trafficking problems and demonstrable efforts to combat the drug problem. The regional executive committee allocates funds for prevention education, advanced law enforcement training, and improvements in coordination between different levels of law enforcement. Funds can also be used for officer training, equipment upgrades, and intelligence gathering to investigate and prosecute drug trafficking.
The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program is a United States federal government initiative that targets law enforcement agencies in areas known for high levels of drug trafficking. Created in 1988 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program provides federal resources to local, state and state law enforcement agencies to help reduce drug trafficking and arrest drug dealers and traffickers. Efforts that can be funded by the program include prevention education, advanced law enforcement training, and improvements that aid coordination between different levels of law enforcement.
To receive funding from the Highly Intensive Drug Trafficking Area program, a region must qualify based on a number of factors. It must be demonstrated that the area has an extensive trafficking problem, including the manufacture, sale or importation of illegal drugs. Furthermore, a region already needs to make concerted and demonstrable efforts to combat the drug problem. Program coordinators also need to believe that federal funding will be able to make a marked improvement in the specific situation before designating a region as HIDTA. At the turn of the 21st century, 28 areas in the United States qualified for funding.
Resources provided by the area’s high-intensity drug trafficking program are allocated by a regional executive committee composed of both state officials and federal workers. This allows for a balance to be struck between those who intimately understand the needs of the region and those who have a clearer picture of the program as a whole. The executive committee works together to analyze the situation, develop programs and initiatives, and oversee the implementation of a strategy to reduce trafficking levels and the devastating effects of a high-drug-using population. Because each community’s needs are distinct, money can be allocated very differently in different regions.
There are several drug trafficking reduction areas to which funds can be diverted by the executive committee of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. Prevention and community education are often seen as an important part of future demand reduction. These efforts are often focused on preventing children and young adults who are extremely vulnerable to drug trafficking from being involved in trafficking or using them. Some of the money can also go towards setting up drug treatment and rehabilitation to reduce the population of users that drug dealers can access.
In terms of stopping trafficking, considerable effort is being made to investigate and prosecute the manufacturing, importation and distribution of drugs. Funds for a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program region can be used to pay for officer training, equipment upgrades, and to foster communication between law enforcement agencies. Intelligence gathering is also a vital part of many programs, as it can lead to clandestine drug rings that can supply thousands of customers.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
