147 lines
7.8 KiB
Plaintext
147 lines
7.8 KiB
Plaintext
June 1990
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B.L.O.C.: BUSINESS LEADERS AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME
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By
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Mike King
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Administrative Assistant
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Weber County, Utah, Attorney's Office
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How many times has the lack of funding cut short an
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undercover operation for local law enforcement? ``Too often'' is
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unfortunately the answer. Most law enforcement budgets can
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barely pay reactive costs, let alone proactive ones. However, in
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Weber County, Utah, a funding source has been found that has
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reaped substantial benefits for both the police department and
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the community. That funding source is B.L.O.C.--Business Leaders
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Against Organized Crime.
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B.L.O.C. is a private corporation formed of businessmen and
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community leaders with the goal of promoting a safer, crime-free
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community. Organized in June 1987, its original mission was to
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provide additional funding and equipment to assist local law
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enforcement in completing on-going undercover ``sting''
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operations. However, B.L.O.C. also offers assistance for
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operations targeted against drug interdictions, property crimes
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and white-collar crimes, as well as for specialized training of
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police officers.
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ORGANIZATION
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Law enforcement professionals defined specific goals,
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policies and procedures when organizing B.L.O.C. A good
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reputation in the community and a sincere commitment to eliminate
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the criminal elements were essential criteria for a business to
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be admitted into B.L.O.C. Also, B.L.O.C. was structured as a
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corporation, with ``articles of incorporation,'' to provide a
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protective shield for the corporation's officers.
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The corporation's board of directors consists of a
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president, first vice president, second vice president, and
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corporate accountant, each with respective duties and
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responsibilities. The current president is a former police
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officer who has an understanding of both law enforcement and
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business community needs. As direct liaison between the police
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department and the corporate membership, the president receives
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all the basic information regarding each operation (type of
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offense, necessary property or finances to conclude a successful
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operation, possible length of operation, etc.) and then
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approaches the membership for approval to disburse funds or
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equipment. At no time, however, is any confidential information
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about the operation relayed to the president by the law
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enforcement agency requesting assistance.
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The first vice president is usually an elected public
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official. This person acts as a direct liaison with the
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corporation's accountant and is responsible for the annual audit
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of the program, which reports all findings to the board of
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directors. The first vice president also cosigns with the
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president and second vice president all disbursements to law
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enforcement for individual operations and projects.
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The second vice president is generally a private citizen who
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is publicly recognized for community service and civic
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responsibility. This person maintains membership records,
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enlists new members, and cosigns all payouts to law enforcement.
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The corporation's accountant is an accredited CPA with over
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10 years of major account experience. The accountant maintains
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records of all financial transactions and completes all the
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necessary tax forms.
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From the beginning, B.L.O.C. was incorporated as a nonprofit
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organization, which allowed member businesses to deduct their
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donations, thereby adding a degree of credibility to the
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organization. The local IRS service center furnished the
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required forms and guidelines to make application for the tax
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exempt status. However, some jurisdictions could employ a local
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attorney with the necessary expertise or a district attorney with
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extensive civil law experience to process the tax-exempt
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application.
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FINANCING
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Money to fund the operation is collected through yearly
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dues, approximately $100 per year, although some of the larger
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businesses voluntarily contribute larger amounts. By keeping the
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annual fee to a minimum, busineses are more willing to join in
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the effort. The funds are invested in high-yield interest
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accounts, and the interest is used to finance projects or as
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``buy'' money. The initial investment is kept intact to provide
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for a continuous source of funding; only the interest is spent.
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If the interest is expended, the corporation requests additional
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funds from the membership, as needed.
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Of course, there is always the possibility the program will
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be dissolved. If this does occur, the remaining finances will be
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used to purchase equipment for area law enforcement agencies.
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One major concern for potential members was the issue of
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liability to officers or members of the corporation. However,
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members are assured that because they have no control over how a
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police operation is conducted, they have no responsibility, and
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this is conveyed to both the police and the corporation's
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membership.
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OPERATIONS
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Affording contributors an opportunity to designate how
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funds are used is one of B.L.O.C.'s major strengths. However,
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most donations are pooled and spent at the discretion of the
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board of directors. Members are advised that the monies are
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directly used to fight organized criminal activities (but not for
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officers' salaries) or to provide specialized training to law
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enforcement personnel.
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To request assistance, the commanding officer of an
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undercover operation contacts the president. In the majority of
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cases, the request is usually for extra finances. But requests
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have also been made for equipment, vehicles, safe house
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locations, or other services that the corporation's membership
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can provide. There is no limit to the amount or types of lawful
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donations that the membership can provide.
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Another important facet of B.L.O.C. is the recognition given
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to local law enforcement officers at an annual banquet for
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exceptional deeds and accomplishments. Many city, county, State,
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and Federal officials attend the awards banquet to honor officers
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for their outstanding work. The extensive media coverage
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provided these events also garners community support for
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B.L.O.C. and law enforcement.
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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B.L.O.C. is paying big dividends for law enforcement and the
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community. Because of B.L.O.C., many undercover operations that
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would have ceased have been allowed to continue, thereby
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permitting major organized crime figures to be identified and
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charged. Over the past 2 years, B.L.O.C. assisted Weber County
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police agencies with undercover operations resulting in over 80
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felony arrests, the recovery of over $80,000 in property, and
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seizures of over $100,000 worth of illegal drugs. In Weber
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County, B.L.O.C. demonstrates that law enforcement and the
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private sector can work together to combat the criminal elements
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that plague their community.
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