129 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
129 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
December 1990
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POLICE PRACTICES
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OPERATION HOTEL-MOTEL
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The transient nature of drug dealers compounds law
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enforcement's efforts to curb drug trafficking. Those involved
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in this illegal activity travel to cities and towns throughout
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the United States to sell drugs. In many instances, dealers use
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hotels and motels as their base of operations until they move on
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to other areas.
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In an effort to curtail this practice, the Narcotics Unit
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of the Omaha Police Department initiated Operation Hotel-Motel.
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This is a program designed to inform local hotel and motel
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employees of common characteristics and activities of drug
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dealers. In turn, employees are asked to report to the police
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when they observe an individual exhibiting any of the designated
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traits.
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INITIAL EFFORTS
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To begin, drug investigators compiled a list of
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characteristics common to persons involved in illegal drug
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activity. Then, they canvassed local hotels and motels to
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enlist their participation in the program. To promote
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cooperation in this effort, investigators advised the
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managements that every effort would be made to keep the name of
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the establishment out of the news media. Over 50 establishments
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agreed to participate.
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TRAINING
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The next step in the program was training. Drug
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investigators instructed hotel and motel managers, front desk
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personnel, and cleaning staffs in the profile characteristics
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and activities often exhibited by drug traffickers. Also,
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employees were told that scales, small plastic bags containing
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residue, white powder residue on table tops or bathroom
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counters, and packaging materials usually indicate involvement
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with drugs, particularly trafficking.
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During the training, the investigators simply asked the
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employees to be observant of certain activity and items as they
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carried out their assigned duties. They also cautioned
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employees not to take any action if they see something
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suspicious, except to report immediately what they saw to the
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police.
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ESTABLISHING PROBABLE CAUSE
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Obviously, information on individuals displaying some of the
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profile traits and suspicious activities does not establish
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probable cause to obtain a search warrant. However, such
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information does provide a basis for opening an investigation and
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starting surveillance on the subject and the room involved.
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In two specific instances, information provided by an alert
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motel employee subsequently led to the arrests of two drug
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dealers. While the information given by the motel employee did
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not provide probable cause initially, the surveillance conducted
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as a result of this information established sufficient probable
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cause for a search warrant each time.
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For example, during the surveillance conducted for one
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particular investigation, officers observed the suspect carrying
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a triple-beam balance scale, commonly used to measure drugs, into
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a motel room. On another occasion, a Los Angeles gang member was
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observed crawling onto the roof above his room and taking a sack
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from the roof inside. In both of these instances, information
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initially provided by astute hotel-motel workers led to the
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subsequent arrest of drug dealers.
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BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM
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The Narcotics Unit offers a reward for information that
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leads to an arrest. But, there is more to be realized through a
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program such as Operation Hotel-Motel than monetary gains for
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hotel and motel employees.
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For example, the program establishes a good working
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relationship between the police department and the business
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community. Investigators contact each participating hotel and
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motel regularly, at least every 2 or 3 months. Also, uniform
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beat officers, all of whom have been made aware of the program,
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are encouraged to contact hotel and motel employees in their
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assigned districts to promote cooperation in Operation
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Hotel-Motel.
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This close working relationship also extends to other areas
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of police operations. Oftentimes, investigators need rooms from
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which to conduct undercover buys and reverse stings. For the
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most part, businesses involved in Operation Hotel-Motel provide
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their facilities without hesitation.
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RESULTS
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Operation Hotel-Motel began in 1988. During the first year
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of operation, the Narcotics Unit made over 50 drug-related
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arrests at motels and hotels and seized more than 6 pounds of
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cocaine and over 40 pounds of marijuana. The investigators
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confiscated approximately $50,000 in cash. Recently, during a
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2-week period in April 1990, information obtained from two
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different hotel employees resulted in five felony drug arrests
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and the confiscation of several ounces of methamphetamine and
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cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, LSD, two vehicles, two
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handguns, and over $16,000 in cash. Obviously, the productivity
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of Operation Hotel-Motel continues.
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CONCLUSION
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Operation Hotel-Motel enlists the cooperation and
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participation of the local businesses, and its success is
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well-documented. On more than 15 occasions, personnel from
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Omaha's Narcotics Unit have made presentations on the program to
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law enforcement agencies throughout the Midwest. Several of
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these agencies implemented identical or similar programs.
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Programs such as Operation Hotel-Motel build good relations
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between the police and the community it serves. They are also an
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extremely effective method to combat the drug problem that
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plagues this country.
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_______________
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Information for this column was provided by Sgt. Mark T.
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Langan, Narcotics Unit, Omaha, Nebraska, Police Department.
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