This assignment will ask you to provide a comprehensive overview of the community that you have chosen (Attached are the communities that I have chosen for my final paper). Only by knowing the people,

M1A3 - Investing in Community Policing to Eradicate Drugs

Shanna Scanlan

SOC490 – Liberal Arts Capstone

Argosy University

June 20, 2018

Embracing Community Policing by DEA to help in Eradicating Drugs

Scope of the Project

Are there ways in which the DEA can fight the war on drugs and criminal activities related to drug abuse without facing backlash from members of the public? The answer is yes. This project comes in to address this need. In the United States, the Drug Enforcement Agency is charged with the responsibility of preventing the distribution of illegal drugs and narcotics in the country. Commonly known as the DEA, the agency uses different strategies to supress and prevent illegal narcotics distribution across the country. From a specific front, the DEA leads in enforcing all the American federal laws which pertain to illegal manufacture, distribution, sale and the consumption of illegal drugs- majorly enforcing the Controlled Substances Act.

In its fight to eradicate the illegal drugs menace, the DEA has faced several challenges. The scope of this research project is to invest in community policy as a way of reducing the drug menace especially among the youthful populations. The project aims at strengthening the war on drugs from a different front. With a key focus on improving the relationships between the DEA law enforcement officers and the local communities, the program will be aided by strong financial investments from different sponsors (Cox & Cunningham, 2017). The project will be meeting two important variables: improving the relationships between the DEA law enforcement officers and the local communities, and boosting the war on drugs.

Cordner (2014) explains that the goals of community policing are in agreement with drug control strategies or policies seeking alternatives to incarceration and arrest, especially in cases where users are concerned. For the longest time, social service agents and community-based organizations have argued that the use of illegal drugs is a public health problem requiring an expansion of community-based prevention and treatment programs (Cox & Cunningham, 2017).

Preliminary assessment

This project aims at resolving the problem of illegal drug manufacture, distribution, sale and use while maintaining positive community relationships. The focus is on improving the relationship between the DEA law enforcement agents and the communities while at the same time fighting the drug menace. The war on drugs has hit several roadblocks because of the manner in which it has been handled over the last couple of years. The DEA has been at the center of this heat, with claims of racism and targeting African Americans.

The DEA works with other agencies to gather intelligence on drug cartels and organizations, eradicate cannabis, reduce the demand for drugs and illegal narcotics, and organize crime enforcement tasks forces and several other functions. Admittedly however, the DEA has not achieved substantial success in the war on drugs. Cox and Cunningham (2017) mention that the war on drugs is perpetuating poverty and criminalizing people who are considered already marginalized.

In the traditional sense, substantial success in drug control efforts has been evaluated by reducing the supply and demand; the number of people incarcerated for illegal drug law violations, numbers of people arrested and volumes of drugs seized, and hectares of illicit crops that have been eradicated. However, Cox and Cunningham (2017) maintain that these measures reveal very little information about the effect of problematic use of drugs, and the drug control policies.

Community policing, according to Cooper (2015) calls for comprehensive approaches to the challenges of drug abuse and crimes related to drug abuse. The community police officers are required to adopt a holistic community policy framework which helps in reducing or combating drug crime challenges. Instead of the repressive strategies that have been used by the DEA law enforcers, community policing recommends the ending the criminalization and marginalization of drug users who are not harmful to other members of the people (Cooper, 2015).

Application of existing knowledge and skills in tackling the project

In the liberal arts capstone class, I have been prepared to tackle challenges that face the world using a strong base of skills and knowledge. Firstly, using my persuasive writing ability will be useful in persuading readers of the proposal to award money. Strong persuasive skills can be effectively used in getting the proposal passed and funded to improve the relationship between the communities and the DEA agents. As a persuader, I have realized that the war on drugs is a problem and the ways that have been used to address it have not been effective.

Using the community policing approach does not only solve the drug problem but also improve the relationship between the communities and the law enforcement agencies. The focus is reducing the backlash that has been affecting the war on drugs. Secondly, the ability to follow instructions is another strength that goes towards ensuring the project is tackled. Since funding firms are likely to receive several grant proposals, following instructions on exactly what is to be included in the proposal is key. Understanding the core of community policing and how it will improve the war on drugs. Lastly, and effective communication strategy is an important component of the grant proposal.

References

Cooper, H. L. (2015). War on drugs policing and police brutality. Substance use & misuse, 50(8-9), 1188-1194.

Cordner, G. (2014). Community policing. The Oxford handbook of police and policing, 148-171.

Cox, R., & Cunningham, J. P. (2017). Financing the War on Drugs: The Impact of Law Enforcement Grants on Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests.