Written by Amanda Coers – For our third class in the 9-week Brownwood Citizen’s Police Academy we were given a glimpse into the darker world of narcotics, courtesy of the department’s leading investigator. For his own safety, we’ll not list his name in this article, but simply refer to him as “TJ.”

“I’ve never met anybody as intelligent as this guy is,” said Detective Doug Hurt, who’s last name seems appropriate, given his physique. I’m pretty sure that detective could lay some hurt down on criminals if needed.

TJ has Bachelors Degrees in Science, Psychology, Sociology, and a Masters in Conflict Resolution. He also has a background in pharmaceuticals and is a forensic analyst for mobile electronics. He could have had a number of exciting careers, but instead he’s chosen to use his extensive training and knowledge to battle the drug problem in Brownwood, and became a drug investigator in 2010.

 

“I wish it was like television, I wish it was that glamorous,” TJ told the class. Instead it turns out that narcotics investigations is more like fishing, with a great deal of waiting and patience required. Unlike fishing, there’s a tremendous amount of paperwork involved and attention to detail is key for making big busts stick.

Technology has changed the landscape of narcotics investigations. Gone are the “drug spots” known in town, as dealers and users connect online and through mobile devices to arrange meet-ups all over the city. There’s also no typical “profile” for a drug dealer.

“I’ve seen a tremendous amount of elderly people, who are RV’ing, and running dope for the cartels,” said TJ, explaining a struggling economy and lack of retirement savings leads to poor decisions from a place of desperation.

Just as there are all types of dealers and various ways of transporting drugs, there are also several different tactics used by narcotics investigators to counter illegal activity:

  • Search and Arrest Warrants – orders granted by a judge to check out and round up bad guys
  • Controlled Purchases – buying drugs, whether by an undercover officer or through a trusted informant
  • Buy/Bust Operations – after drug purchases, an undercover officer will give a signal to other law enforcement agents to take down the bad guys
  • Knock-and-Talks – making contact with suspected drug dealers and “fishing” for information, sometimes it pays off, sometimes not
  • Probation Searches – Clauses are added to probation terms, allowing officers to search individuals when needed
  • Traffic Stops – when patrol officers conduct traffic stops, it can often turn into an information source for narcotics investigators
  • Surveillance Investigations – watching locations and people for possible narcotic activity

Through those different tactics, narcotics investigators can then hand their cases over to the local court system: the 35th District, known for a tough stance on drugs.

“We have drug dealers that will not come into Brown County, because they know how tough the 35th District is, and I’m really proud of our attorneys and our district,” said TJ.

While it might seem like the purpose of these tactics is mainly to make arrests, for TJ it’s about getting drugs off our streets.

“I don’t aim to take people to jail when I come to work. I hate this stuff (drugs), I’ve got family members affected by this stuff, and to be frank, I’m tired of going to parents and telling them that their kids are dead because of this junk,” TJ told the class.

There’s no limitation in the variety of drugs in the Brownwood area, but two are leading the pack: Methamphetamine and Prescription Drugs.

“We are eat up in this town with prescription drugs,” TJ told the class. “It comes in a nice neat form, it comes from a pharmacy, and no one wants to talk about it. Oxycodone is heroine, it’s just in a nicer form.”

In the United States, over 15 million people abuse prescription drugs, more than the combined number who reported abusing cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin. Narcotic pain relievers cause nearly 3 out of 4 prescription drug overdoses and about 15,500 deaths annually.

Learn more about a growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse: www.rehabs.com

To help in the fight, TJ encouraged the class to stay alert and work with the department.

“I can’t do my job without you,” he said. “You guys know your neighborhoods, you know the vehicles. I need you to call me and let me know what’s going on in the community. Because it’s a community issue.”