Narcotics and Vice Division successes

Our Narcotics and Vice Division had a very productive February getting drugs, guns and those who commit crimes involving the two off the streets. Consider these numbers comparing February 2012 with February 2011 and year-to-date figures for the first two months of the year:

	Feb. 2012	Feb. 2011	% Difference	2012 YTD	2011 YTD	% Difference
Narcotics-Related Arrests	190	72	164%	334	130	157%
Firearms Recovered	70	34	106%	96	66	45%
Search Warrants Served	101	35	189%	156	69	126%

These are just numbers from the Narcotics and Vice Division. The numbers from other elements in the police department are just as impressive. But the statistics aren’t what I care about. What we want are results from these statistics: reduced crime and a safer city. Fewer illegal firearms, less drugs and increased arrests of those who traffic in both are a good step toward that.

The detectives and officers of this department are working very hard toward a safer city, and they’re doing so more effectively. Another statistic shows how inter-department communication has increased. Other elements (such as the Violent Crimes Division) have reached out for support from the Narcotics and Vice Division on 105 percent more cases than they did in the first two months of last year. NVD has received 890 internal requests for investigative support so far in 2012 compared to 435 requests at this point in 2011. This shows we are using our resources more effectively and tackling violent crime from more than one angle.

The efforts of these detectives, officers, and the community have not gone unnoticed. Their contribution to reducing crime is appreciated and very much needed. A Communications Unit Supervisor informed me this weekend that we’d received six calls when one homicide occurred. That is unusual (sometimes we receive none) and brings hope that not only will that particular homicide be solved but that everyone is stepping up to make our city safer.

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Police bust Northland businesses selling synthetic drugs

PRESS RELEASE:

Kansas City Police and other law enforcement agencies busted two Northland businesses today for selling synthetic narcotics.

Officers with the Synthetic Drug Task Force served search warrants at Discount Smokes at 2518 NE Vivion Road and the Shell Station at Vivion and Antioch roads. They arrested store employees and recovered synthetic drugs such as “plant food,” “syn,” “K2,” and “bath salts.”

Police recovered approximately 1,100 grams of suspected synthetic drugs, several thousand dollars worth of drug paraphernalia and a loaded firearm. Four people were arrested and face multiple charges for the sale of controlled substances.

“These stores and their management had been warned multiple times,” KCPD Captain Chelly Pfeifer said. “They were presented with letters from the Clay County prosecutor outlining that the substances were illegal.”

Kansas City Police have been investigating the stores targeted in today’s search warrants for as long as 10 months.

Missouri legislators banned synthetic narcotics in August 2010. The drugs have been found to be chemically similar to marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and other illegal substances. They cause significant physical harm and psychosis that can lead to injury or suicide.

The multi-jurisdictional Synthetic Drug Task Force convened in November 2011 to combat the continuing sales of illegal synthetic drugs. The Task Force includes the Kansas City, Gladstone and North Kansas City police departments; Platte and Clay County sheriff’s departments; the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office; and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Captain Chelly Pfeifer is president of the Northland Coalition – an organization dedicated to creating healthy and drug-free communities. The Coalition heard from a woman whose son nearly died from using synthetic drugs and still suffers significant physical problems. Talking to teenagers involved in the Northland Coalition, she learned many knew other teens who used the drugs and knew where to get them.

“I said, ‘We have to do something,’” she said. “… Our kids are getting involved in this stuff. They have the notion if it’s sold in a gas station, it’s OK. It’s ‘herbal.’ But it has devastating effects.”

Sergeant Brad Dumit of KCPD’s Vice Section said he wanted today’s actions against the stores selling the synthetic drugs to convey it will not be tolerated.

“We want to send the message that selling these things is illegal,” he said. “It’s illegal to possess it, distribute it and sell it.”

Capt. Pfeifer said the efforts of the Synthetic Drug Task Force will be ongoing.

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Check out the latest Narcotics and Vice Quarterly newsletter

The newest edition of the Narcotics and Vice Quarterly newsletter is available online. This newsletter lets you know about trends in drug and drug-related crimes in Kansas City. This edition features stories about the resurgence of heroin in Kansas City, where you can drop off old prescription drugs, a profile of the Metro Meth Section, the latest synthetic drug and statistics on drugs and weapons recovered in the third quarter of 2011. Check it out here.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Narcotics and Vice Quarterly highlights efforts against drugs, money laundering, violence at taverns

  The latest Narcotics and Vice Quarterly newsletter is now out, and I urge you to read it. It features stories about the Gun Bounty Program, how police are combatting a new kind of money laundering, a profile on our rarely seen Financial Investigations Section, the results of Operation Vice Grip to combat violence at bars and taverns and the latest statistics on drugs, weapons, and prostitution in Kansas City. It also introduces you to our newest drug dogs, Wendy and Julie. They're a friendly pair who work to stop the transport of large quantities of drugs through Kansas City, but we also used them in our latest Violent Crime Initiative to sniff out drugs in homes and businesses where we had warrants to search.

Finally, I pasted one of the articles from the newsletter below about the impressive amount of national recognition the investigators of our Narcotics and Vice Division are receiving lately.

Several members of the Narcotics and Vice Division have been recognized as the best in their field in the nation in a number of categories:


Detective Anthony Garcia of KCPD’s Interdiction Section was named the 2011 Detective of the Year by the International Narcotics Interdiction Association at the group’s annual conference. Since he has been assigned to the Interdiction Section in 2002, Det. Garcia has intercepted the transport of 4,761 pounds of marijuana, 101 pounds of cocaine, 5 gallons of PCP, almost 20 pounds of meth and more than $2 million in cash.

On June 21, the Kansas City-based Midwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigative Support Center was named the top HIDTA in the nation by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, besting 26 other centers nationwide at an awards program in Washington, D.C. Staffed by several KCPD members, Midwest HIDTA was recognized for providing critical intelligence linkages that support federal, state and local law enforcement officers.


Members of the KCPD Gang Squad who participated in Operation Smokin’ Aces won the Homeland Security Investigations 2011 Director’s Award in the Category of Gang Investigations. The Operation began in 2009 when the Gang Squad started an investigation involving several gang members in Kansas City who were involved in a large-scale narcotics trafficking operation. It culminated in big arrests on June 9, 2010, and was one of the largest drug-trafficking rings ever busted in Kansas City. The Gang Squad partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on the initiative and indicted 23 people on drugs and weapons charges. The federal indictment alleged that all 23 defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 50 grams or more of crack cocaine since July 1, 2009.

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Narcotics and Vice Quarterly features important information about readily available drugs

The latest issue of the Narcotics and Vice Quarterly newsletter is now available, and it's got some great information about "bath salts," which are not at all for use in the tub. They're a dangerous mixture of drugs that are extremely similar in their chemical make-up to drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and methcathinone. Local police have seen several overdoses on bath salts, as well as a possible suicide triggered by the extreme paranoia it causes.

The newsletter also includes a story about how restricting a popular cold medicine could do a lot to reduce methamphetamine production. In addition, check out a profile of our Gang Squad and the latest statistics on drugs and guns recovered by the Narcotics and Vice Division.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Latest Narcotics & Vice Quarterly newsletter highlights 2010 accomplishments

The latest edition of the Narcotics and Vice Division's quarterly newsletter is out, and it highlights the work of a division that conducts much of its work in quiet, under-cover capacities. In addition to statistics about total drugs and guns the division recovered last year and from where, it includes stories about the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration moving to ban all forms of synthetic marijuana, why we've increased tavern checks, a profile of the Illegal Firearms Squad and the success of the Prescription Take Back program. It also outlines several ways you can report suspected drug activity in your neighborhood. Please check out the Narcotics & Vice Quarterly.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.

Second Narcotics and Vice Quarterly newsletter discusses PCP, gang initiatives

The Narcotics and Vice Division has produced the second edition of their new newsletter, Narcotics and Vice Quarterly. This one covers April through June 2010 and includes stories about the increased amounts of PCP officers are seeing, a busted drug trafficking ring and illegal party houses. It also has statistics about how many arrests the Division has made, how many search warrants they've served, and how much drugs, money and guns they have recovered.

If you suspect narcotics activity in your neighborhood, call 816-474-DRUG.

Narcotics and Vice Quarterly has great information

Because of the kind of under-cover work they do, you typically don't hear very much from KCPD's Narcotics and Vice Division. But every day, they're out there fighting some of the most dangerous criminals in this city, breaking up drug-trafficking rings, fighting crimes like prostitution and illegal gambling and monitoring licensed businesses.

We've long wanted to convey to you what they're doing, and the new Narcotics & Vice Quarterly does just that. This newsletter not only has detailed statistics about where drug busts are taking place, how they're being prosecuted, and what kinds of drugs are most prevalent in Kansas City, it also includes articles about emerging trends in drugs and other illegal activity in the area. The newsletter will be produced quarterly. The first edition covers the first quarter of 2010, January 1 through March 31. The second issue is due out soon. Printed versions of the newsletters also will soon be available at patrol division stations and Headquarters.

Please take the time to read this newsletter. It has important information about a dangerous new way of making meth, potent drugs being marketed to children and illegal gambling machines in the reach of children at Kansas City convenience stores. Also be sure to check out all the ways you can reported suspected drug activity to the police department.

Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.