NCJ Number
160593
Date Published
Unknown
Length
29 pages
Annotation
Prosecutors in Cook County, Illinois, are developing and implementing innovative strategies to clean up drug-infested neighborhoods and are using powerful civil remedies to augment law enforcement efforts; in particular, drug dealers are being targeted for nuisance abatement and eviction procedures in both private sector and public housing.
Abstract
The threat of nuisance abatement fines and lengthy civil litigation often prompts housing owners to evict drug dealers and clean up their properties. Nuisance abatement statutes provide prosecutors with an additional response, beyond conviction, to citizen concerns about drug trafficking and safety in their neigborhoods. Most nuisance abatement efforts include five basic steps: referral, investigation, notification, abatement, and followup. The community, police, and prosecution represent the three integral components of nuisance abatement programs. Community involvement is particularly important since community liaison educates citizens about drug trafficking and encourages neighbors to report suspicious activities to authorities. The Narcotics Nuisance Abatement Unit of the Cook County, Illinois, State's Attorney is a community-based drug control strategy. This unit works closely with local police and law enforcement agencies, various governmental agencies, community groups, and citizens to identify, investigate, and prosecute narcotic nuisances within the county. Sample letters are included that can be sent to a property owner after documentation of a narcotic arrest, to a complainant when a narcotic nuisance is established, and to a complainant when a narcotic nuisance is documented and subsequently abated by the property owner. Other legal forms are also provided that relate to injunctions, affidavits, orders, and narcotic nuisance complaints.