New Tech Challenges Police in Drug War

It seems that as fast as the police and the DEA can catch up to the new technology and put it into place, the drug traffickers are a step or three ahead. It’s as though the races are being run by the tortoises and the hares, but with only occasional times that a hare does stupid things long enough for a slow-moving tortoise to catch up.

Why? Well, think of it like this: when a new item comes on the technology scene, the younger folks quickly grab onto it and use it and play with it and understand all of its ins and outs and possibilities. And drug traffickers also have the cash on hand to buy all of the latest gadgets, too. Now imagine a police agency: the younger officers might see the benefit and want to get something for the whole department, but they will have to first convince the others that it’s a good idea, and then get it approved by a couple of departments. By the time they get the item it’s upgrade is probably already in the hands of the criminals.

A story from Trenton in June 2011 talked about the frustrations that come with dealing with the changes in technology. One item in particular is a new smartphone application that lets a person type in any phone number that he wants so that when he calls someone it shows his chosen number and hides his real one. While there may be some reasons why people would want this app, perhaps protecting drug dealers was not the company’s intention.

Meanwhile, the Internet has several online “pharmacies” that do nothing but sell narcotic medications illegally. Separating the real from the illegal companies takes time and expertise.

A third problem has arisen with the social networking sites. Gangs and cartels use them to connect to each other. Some video games can even be used to connect dealers with buyers with the authorities not even knowing that it is going on.

The use of prescription drugs throughout communities and particularly among youth has risen to a desperate rate. Even worse, it often leads them to heroin because of the lower cost involved there. Law enforcement agencies are just going to have to keep up with the times if they are going to make any headway here.