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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9608INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS To the Mayor and Members of the City Council ••1: December 10, 2013 Page 1 of 2 SUBJECT: DRUGS AND VIOLENCE AT HOMELESS SHELTERS This report is a response to the October 25, 2013, request from Mayor and City Council concerning the control of illegal narcotic activity and violence at homeless shelters. The area in question consists of patrol beats A440, A445, A450, and A455, with an approximate western boundaty of East Lancaster Avenue at Interstate 35 and extends east to Riverside Drive. This area is known as the East Lancaster Corridor. The Fort Worth Police Department Narcotic Section works to effectively enforce all narcotic and dangerous drug laws and ordinances. In addition, the Section is responsible for vice-related offenses, to include gambling, prostitution, and the illegal sale of alcohol and tobacco products to minors. Narcotic Section officers primarily seek to identify, target, arrest, and present for prosecution those individuals who are involved in the distribution and/or use of controlled substances or dangerous drugs, and those individuals who are involved in the purchase, sale, or trade of stolen property in exchange for or in consideration of obtaining controlled substances or dangerous drugs. The Narcotic Section is also responsible for the intake and investigation of citizen and informant information relating to criminal activity within the City of Fort Worth. This information helps with the identification of problem areas where drug trafficking may occur and the detection of problem areas with populations prone to drug abuse. The homeless shelters along the East Lancaster Corridor are indicative of locations prone to prostitution and illegal drug abuse. However, this area has not been identified as a hotspot for drug trafficking. Through surveillance and investigation, officers have found the majority of drug users among the homeless do not obtain their drugs along the East Lancaster Corridor. Countless times, homeless people that frequent the shelters have been arrested during narcotic search warrants for possession, but not distribution. In addition, undercover officers and crime analysts have gathered intelligence information related to the East Lancaster Corridor and have found year-to-date data that indicates the area is a target rich environment for lower level misdemeanor possession offenses, but not offenses related to illegal narcotics sales. Narcotic Section officers have partnered with federal agencies, to include the DEA, ATF, and Homeland Security, in an attempt to disrupt drug trafficking by individuals and organizations that contribute to the sale of illegal drugs and controlled substances throughout the City of Fort Worth. The Narcotic Section also works in conjunction with other police divisions, such as the patrol and intelligence divisions, to address violent crime. Most recently, combined police efforts included saturation of the homeless shelter area by an entire Narcotics Section team, increased patrols by assigned area patrol officers and NPOs, and the installation of electronic surveillance through ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS To the Mayor and Members of the City Councii •.1: December 10, 2013 Page 2 of 2 SUBJECT: DRUGS AND VIOLENCE AT HOMELESS SHELTERS street cameras. The Narcotic Section also coordinates and cooperates with other City of Fort Worth departments to address quality of life issues. In particular, Code Compliance assists with addressing dilapidated structures used by narcotics dealers. In the case of the East Lancaster Corridor and the homeless shelters, continued police monitoring is the most appropriate response to control violence and drug crime. � � Tom Hig� �s City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS