Drug Law Enforcement Summary

The first article is written by Joseph Kennedy (2003) called “Drug Wars in Black and White” and the second article is called “Street-Level Drug Law Enforcement” by Lorraine Mazerolle, David W. Soole and Sacha Rombouts in 2006. In addition, the last article is by David Dixon and Phillip Coffin (1999) called “Zero Tolerance Policing in Illegal Drug Markets” from the Drug and Alcohol Review.
Summary
Kennedy (2003) discusses the background of the war on drugs in 1920s and provides information that shows a difference of the drug wars being less punitive and less disparate in regards to African Americans and whites then the current drug war. Kennedy (2003) explores the cultural dynamics of the war against drugs and the role that race plays in those
dynamics.
Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) discusses street level drug enforcement by comparing four different types of law enforcement approaches.
Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) examines the impact the different tactics has on street level crime such as property crime and violent crime. Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) discuss if law enforcement partners with a third party for drug law enforcement, will it be more effective in dealing with drug problems.
Dixon and Coffin (1999) examines the zero tolerance policing in regards to drugs in schools, public housing, and etc. that was established to reduce drug use and sales. Dixon and Coffin (1999) discusses that broken window theory merged from this strategy when policing drug markets. Dixon and Coffin (1999) conducts a study to see if the zero tolerance is effective in reducing drug use and sales by looking at these variables such as serious crime and quality of
life.
Themes
Admittedly, one the themes that came from Kennedy (2003) research paper was the war on drugs has been more of a war of color based on assumptions of our culture. Furthermore, Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) provides the second theme of that the law enforcement agencies use various approaches for drug law enforcement, but none are effective as partnering with a third party. Dixon and Coffin (1999) provide the third theme of alternatives approaches to drug use and sales are needed in order to be effective. All of the articles provide a theme of the current drug law enforcement approaches need to consider a community-oriented that allows a third party to analyze and develop a strategy that will be effective in reducing drug use and sales.
Supporting arguments/evidence
Kennedy (2003) argues “Law enforcement naturally and logically focuses on those communities where illegal drug use has created the most harmful and most visible effects” (Kennedy, 2003, p.153-154). Kennedy (2003) demonstrates that law enforcement officers have been taught that individuals of inner city are more crimogenic, which typically is the African-American community. Kennedy (2003) argues “The ‘otherness’ of African Americans and other persons of color enables mainstream society to imagine the use of illegal drugs to be so much more harmful than legal drugs even though they are increasingly being used for related” (Kennedy, 2003, p.155-156). Kennedy (2003) demonstrates that our cultural ideas have been altered by the media making us think that legal drugs are not has harmful as illegal drugs.
Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) argues “[…] geographically focused, partnership-type law enforcement interventions that apply a wide range of sanctions are generally far more effective responses to ongoing crime problems than unfocused effect” (Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts, 2006, p.427) Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) demonstrates that law enforcement focus on crime hotspots and making arrests rather than finding an effective approach to drug law enforcement. Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) argues “Careful analysis of the problem, […] can help police determine the most appropriate partners […] and choose appropriate sanctions that are likely to reduce the opportunities for the street drug trade to flourish” (Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts, 2006, p.428). Mazerolle, Soole and Rombouts (2006) demonstrates that law enforcement agencies need to consider what approach is going to reduce the level of street-level drug trade and to invest on what the best practice in drug law enforcement.
Dixon and Coffin (1999) argues “Drug policing faces difficulties which were familiar in the policing of gambling two centuries ago: ‘the inventions of the sharpers’ are swifter than the punishment of the law, which only hunts them from one device to another” (Dixon and Coffin, 1999, p.484). Dixon and Coffin (1999) demonstrated that law enforcement cannot eliminate illegal drug use and sales because of the approach that law enforcement uses such as zero tolerance policy.
Follow-up questions If I had the chance to ask the authors from the supplemental readings surrounding their work the two questions I would pose is if using a third party approach to help drug law enforcement, why hasn’t police agencies used this already? In addition, if law enforcement changes their approach to drug enforcement would it impact crime rate?
Conclusions
Following this further, three specific conclusions that I can draw from the readings is that currently the drug law enforcement approaches to reduce drug use and sales are less effective, which alternative approaches can provide an effective approach to reducing drug use and sales.
Law enforcement tends to focus on inner city areas that are predominately African American based on our cultural understanding. Lastly, the United States needs to consider a different approach when it comes to drug law enforcement. The impressions that I gathered was that the in order to successfully suppress illegal drug use and sales partnerships need to made.
Future Study In final consideration, one of the future areas of inquiry based on the readings is the issue of current drug law enforcement and their effect on the criminal justice system particularly individuals of color. Additionally, a research question that can open up future areas of inquiry is to see if utilizing a partnership for drug law enforcement would impact community relations? Lastly, it does open the topic that if the United States were to change to an alternative drug control approach would it help the criminal justice
system?