NCJ Number
139963
Date Published
1993
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The police department Tampa, Florida, instituted a program called Quick Uniform Attack on Drugs (QUAD) in order to restore public order and community safety by suppressing street drug markets. The program did not attempt to stop Tampa's drug trade, jail dealers, or seize drugs or assets.
Abstract
In 1985, crack made its first appearance in Tampa. Until then, drug trafficking was primarily conducted in out-of-the-way places, but the crack dealers proliferated in lower income, predominantly black sections, then spread to more prosperous neighborhoods as dealers catered to drive-by customers. Turf fights over 61 prime "dope holes" were common, as was high-powered weapons use. Reported crime soared from 11,736 to 16,481 index crimes per 100,000 residents. The police department created a task force which arrested thousands of dealers without improving the situation. QUAD was designed to crack down simultaneously on all of Tampa's dope holes, making it very difficult for dealers to sell and for buyers to buy drugs. The program's key elements included a citywide strategy, long-term commitment, adequate resource allocation, citizen involvement, guaranteed response to every citizen complaint, involvement of officers from all bureaus of the department and officials of other municipal agencies, constant monitoring of conditions in the city, and active media support. Within 6 months of using tactics that included pressure on consumers, forced displacement of dealers, huge numbers of arrests, and artful market disruption, the police department and city residents were seeing positive results and nearly all the dope holes had closed down. 25 notes