The High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program: An Overview

Designation of a HIDTA

HIDTAs are designated by the Director of ONDCP, in consultation with the Attorney General, Secretary of Treasury, heads of

drug-control agencies, and respective governors.  In designating HIDTAs, ONDCP considers the following statutory criteria:

The extent that:

·         The area is the center of drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution.

·         State and local law enforcement agencies have committed resources to respond to the drug trafficking problem, thereby

indicating a determination to respond aggressively.

·         Drug activities in the area are having a harmful impact on other areas of the country.

·         A significant increase in Federal resources is necessary to respond adequately to drug-related activities in the area.

 

HIDTA regions are comprised of specific designated counties, based on the drug threat facing that area.  The following areas,

with specific designated counties in the noted states, have been designated as HIDTAs:

 

1990:	Houston, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, South Florida, and the Southwest Border (California, Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas and South Texas);
1994:	Washington DC/Baltimore and Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands;
1995:	Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia/Camden;
1996:	Rocky Mountain (Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming), Gulf Coast (Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi), Lake County (Indiana), Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota), and Northwest (Washington);
1997:	Southeast Michigan and Northern California;
1998:	Appalachia (Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia), Central Florida, Milwaukee and North Texas; and
1999:	Central Valley (California), Hawaii, New England (Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont), Ohio, and Oregon
2001:	Nevada, and North Florida

A HIDTA Region

HIDTAs are joint efforts of regional local, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies whose leaders work together to assess

regional drug threats, design strategies to combat the threats, and develop initiatives to implement the strategies.  HIDTAs:

 

·         Provide a coordination umbrella for local, state, and Federal drug law enforcement efforts;

·         Foster a strategy-driven, systems approach to integrate and synchronize efforts; and

·         Focus on outcomes.

 

HIDTA strategies are developed by an equal partnership of regional law enforcement agencies.  The balancing of power

between the law enforcement leaders ensures the integration and synchronization of efforts to reduce drug trafficking,

eliminate unnecessary duplication of effort, maximize resources, and improve intelligence and information sharing both within

and between regions.  Regional HIDTA strategies include building collocated, multi-agency drug task forces and initiatives.  

Collocation and multi-jurisdictional task forces are fundamental program standards that promote achievement of strong levels

of coordination and partnership building.  These standards provide valuable opportunities for agencies to combine their wide range

of knowledge, skills, jurisdictional powers and resources to target illicit drug organizations and drug-related crime, as well as to

share information and resources, develop lasting teamwork, and even conduct cross training.  The strategies are developed based

on the identified regional drug trafficking threat.  Every year, each HIDTA reviews their strategy and initiatives to improve

effectiveness and to respond to changes in the threat.  The HIDTA Program focuses on outcomes and performance based

funding.  HIDTA Program policy includes HIDTA Developmental Standards that outline requirements of every HIDTA region,

from basic to optimum in the areas of Intelligence and Information Sharing, Teamwork, Accountability, and Strategy Building.

Additionally, the HIDTA Program is measured by the

National Drug Control Strategy's Performance Measures of Effectiveness, per congressional mandate.  By focusing

and measuring outcomes, the HIDTA Program increases America's impact on the illicit drug trafficking industry and helps

make our communities safer and free of drugs.  The HIDTA Program creates a system that empowers agencies to synchronize

their efforts. In addition to providing additional equipment and technology, the Program enables drug control agencies to pioneer

new ways of collaboration.  The agencies communicate more rapidly and effectively and actively share intelligence resources,

such as, manpower and equipment.  As partnerships mature, personnel from different agencies hand off cases to each other

and conduct cross-case analysis.  By working together, agencies develop a common vision and collective problem solving

techniques.  In the HIDTA system, agencies have a mechanism to quickly adapt to fluctuating drug trafficking patterns.  This ability

becomes increasingly important as drug traffickers use more and more complicated schemes and methods to bring illicit drugs

into the United States.

 

HIDTA Program Policy and Unity of Effort

 

ONDCP establishes program policy and has oversight responsibility to the HIDTA Program.  The ONDCP Director oversees

development and implementation of the Program and approves funding for regional HIDTA strategies and initiatives.  At the

national-level, the HIDTA Coordination Committee makes recommendations on policy, program, and funding to the

ONDCP Director.  The Coordination Committee is made up of representatives from ONDCP and the Department of Justice,

Treasury, and Health and Human Services.  Additionally, the National HIDTA Program establishes various sub-committees

with representation from state and local law enforcement agencies around the nation.  At the regional level, each HIDTA

has an Executive Committee (EXCOM), which is the governing body for the individual HIDTA.  The EXCOM consists of

an equal number of representatives from local/state and Federal law enforcement agencies.  The EXCOM is responsible for

the development and implementation of the HIDTA Strategy and the attendant initiatives and budgets.  The EXCOM also

has administrative oversight responsibility for the fiscal operations of the HIDTA, which includes ensuring that HIDTA funds

and resources are utilized in compliance with all program guidance and policies.  The EXCOM hires a HIDTA Director to assist

with the day-to-day administration of the HIDTA, implement appropriate oversight controls per the EXCOM, and liaison

with ONDCP.  Operational control of initiatives is the sole purview of the participating law enforcement agencies. Moreover,

HIDTA initiatives and/or individual task forces abide by the rules and regulations of their respective agencies. For example,

all chain-of-command, report writing, and security issues of HIDTA task forces and initiatives must comply with the

standards of the respective participating agencies. HIDTA brings the agencies together, provides the concept, structure

and additional resources for the participating agencies' manpower and expertise to accomplish

enhanced and meaningful outcomes.

 

HIDTA Investigative Support Centers

 

The HIDTA Program establishes Investigative Support Centers (ISCs) in designated areas specifically to create a

communication infrastructure that can facilitate information-sharing between Federal, state, and local law-enforcement

agencies.  Information gleaned from the collection, evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of intelligence must be shared in

order to reduce production, transportation, distribution and use of drugs.  Cooperation in sharing and deconflicting strategic

and operational intelligence is critical for combating the international and domestic drug problem.

HIDTA ISCs are therefore the centerpieces of the Program.  They facilitate information sharing, intelligence collection,

analysis and dissemination, technical and strategic support to HIDTA initiatives and participating agencies.  A state or local

and a Federal law enforcement agency jointly manage ISCs.  The multi-agency personnel at the ISCs provide event and subject

deconfliction services for HIDTA task forces and other law enforcement agencies in and outside the HIDTA region for increased

officer safety.  They also provide intelligence that increases the effectiveness and efficiency of task forces by analyzing

information and identifying drug trafficking organizations and their vulnerabilities.  These services help law enforcement agencies

target drug organizations at several levels: local, regional and national.  Drug control data is collected from Federal agencies,

including the DEA, FBI, U. S. Customs, and a multitude of state and local law enforcement agencies.  In most

cases an agency representative is on-site and controls the information based on agency rules and regulations. In cases

where sensitive information cannot be disclosed, the representative provides contact information so that the agents and/or

officers can make direct contact with one another.  HIDTA ISCs provide secure sites and information systems for

participating law enforcement agencies to store and appropriately share information and intelligence.  Each HIDTA produces an

annual drug threat assessment, which is created with information received from regional drug control agencies. The threat

assessments depict the actual drug threat in the region in order to assist individual departments and agencies in developing

strategies and learn about intelligence gaps.  They are also useful to policy makers in determining the drug threat

riorities and resource allocation.  HIDTA drug threat assessments are integrated and coordinated with the National Drug

Intelligence Center (NDIC), who has the responsibility of producing the national drug threat assessment.

The General Counterdrug Intelligence Plan (GCIP), published in 2000, embodies the HIDTA philosophy by recognizing the

critical role that intelligence plays and promoting local, state, and Federal law enforcement information sharing. GCIP's goal is

to establish a drug intelligence framework that supports operators in the field, improves local, state, and Federal relationships,

and responds to policymaker needs as they formulate counterdrug policy, taskings, and resource decisions. Specific proposals

in the GCIP reinforce and promote the HIDTA program concept, goals, and requirements.