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Letter from DEA Administrator Asa HutchinsonDuring my tenure as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, I observed the challenges that state and local law enforcement faced in their drug investigations. While the demand for illegal drugs is local, supply networks extend far beyond any state or national boundary. No single agency can reach all of the extremities of the large drug syndicates. I believe that state, local, and Federal law enforcement must work together. While representing the Third District of Arkansas in the U. S. House of Representatives, my service on House Committees reinforced my views on the importance of inter-agency cooperation. As the new Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), my staff has briefed me extensively on the many and varied programs of this agency, including those that are managed in cooperation with and in support of state and local law enforcement agencies. While I have a great deal of information to digest and new ideas to explore, I am particularly interested in the National Drug Pointer Index (NDPIX) which has been described to me as a pointer system, an innovative tool that promotes investigative efficiency and enhances officer safety. An officer/investigator enters a target into the database and receives the names and telephone numbers of other officers/investigators who may be tracking the same target. Telephonic contact between officers/investigators can reveal information that is useful to one or both parties. A successful contact can result in an immediate benefit such as an arrest or can enhance an investigation. The only exchange of information on a target is voluntary and through the conversation of the two officers/investigators. Particularly impressive is the fact that the NDPIX was developed under the direction of a Project Steering Committee and six Working Groups that represented 19 state and 24 local law enforcement agencies. NDPIX uses the National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (NLETS) for access. The DEA NDPIX Support Staff promotes participation in the NDPIX and assists prospective members in their registration and other preparatory activities, to include training. The DEA and state and local agencies have entered over 150,000 investigative targets into the database. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Customs Service are committed to participating and are devoting resources to address policy, technical, and communications issues. Several additional state and local agencies are now in varying degrees of coming on-line with the NDPIX. We anticipate a continuing growth of NDPIX participation and greater usefulness as more targets are added to the database. In a recent survey, we learned that although the NDPIX is meeting the need for a national pointer system, many of the respondents commented that if more agencies participated, the program would be more effective. I am very excited about my role as Administrator of DEA and am committed to DEA's mission particularly as it relates to cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The extensive interagency interaction that I have already observed foretells great successes in reducing drug trafficking in our communities. I am fully committed to realizing this promise and am looking forward to working with you. Sincerely, Asa Hutchinson International InterestRepresentatives of several foreign law enforcement agencies have recently expressed interest in the NDPIX as a model for a pointer system for their own nation's law enforcement agencies. The national scope of the NDPIX and that it is a product of local, state, and Federal cooperation are of special significance. The NDPIX Staff has briefed representatives of Germany's Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Police); the United Kingdom's National Crime Squad, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, and the National Criminal Intelligence Service; and the Australian Federal Police. The DEA Country Attache in Seoul advised representatives of the National Intelligence Service of the Republic of Korea of the NDPIX. The Service requested a briefing that was subsequently held at DEA Headquarters. The presentation was well received and the Koreans are working at developing the concept in their own country. DEA held a Drug Unit Commander's Academy (DUCA) at the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia in August 2001. The NDPIX Staff provided a briefing to the DUCA which included representatives from the Bermuda Police Service, the Hellenic National Police, and the Hellenic Coast Guard of Greece. Other nations that have inquired of and been briefed on NDPIX include Albania, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Panama, South Africa. DEA is preparing a booklet for our foreign counterparts on the brief history and development of NDPIX and the resources required to develop such a system. These foreign nations only are interested in developing a pointer system within their own nations, not in participating in the NDPIX in the United States. Federal Agency ParticipationDEA officials met with representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Customs Service regarding their plans to participate in the NDPIX. Both agencies confirmed their acceptance of the NDPIX concept and indicated that arrangements for funding and then development will follow shortly. Specific implementation dates have not been announced. Out ReachThe NDPIX Support Staff assists prospective participants with their registration and start-up activities and works with DEA Field Divisions to promote further use of NDPIX among state and local law enforcement agencies. They also promote enrollment in NDPIX through participation in drug law enforcement seminars and conferences. The following is their calendar from July through September of 2001. The Calendar
The NDPIX Support Staff would welcome invitations to other such meetings, conferences, and seminars. Please send your invitations, and any comments on NDPIX that you may care to make, to Tricia Gosby or Mitch Morris, Editors, NDPIX NEWS, Intelligence Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington, D.C. 20537, telephone 202-307-3604. Success StoriesA recent survey of DEA offices revealed the following NDPIX successes. A DEA office in Texas received a match notification on a Michigan State Police record. Investigators discussed the match, determined that it was based on an alias, and established that it was a target of interest. The investigation continues. A DEA office in New Mexico received a match on a target entered by a law enforcement agency in Arizona. Discussions between the investigators led to the arrest of the individual who was determined to be a cell head/high level distributor of crack cocaine. One pound of the drug was seized under Federal charges and 11 grams under local charges. The target entered a plea agreement and a guilty plea is pending. NDPIX Support
Contacts for State/ Local Agencies:
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