NCJ Number
123526
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (1990) Pages: 43-74
Date Published
1990
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Operation Pressure Point (OPP), a special proactive police project created to disrupt the drug traffic on the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side consists of uniformed boot-patrol police officers.
Abstract
Data were obtained through examination of police reports and documents, observance on patrol with OPP forces, and interviews with community members, drug users, drug treatment personnel, police administrators, and police officers. OPP accomplished an overall reduction in drug trafficking and drug-related crime and was also a tremendous tactical success for the New York City Police Department. Community reaction was most favorable in neighborhoods where the impact was greatest, but even in areas with remaining drug traffic, residents appreciated the reduction in volume and the less obtrusive methods of dealing being used. Not all drug-infested communities, however, can benefit equally from an operation like OPP. Success on the Lower East Side was probably due to the early stages of gentrification or becoming a middle- and upper-middle-class community. Also, there is no reason to believe that OPP can substantially reduce the overall volume of drugs being sold or consumed. In all likelihood, it simply moved the drug trade from the Lower East Side to other parts of the city and beyond. 1 table, 43 notes, 73 references.