APPENDIX I

INSPECTION METHODOLOGY

To assess the activities of the Tri-State Violent Crime Task Force, we interviewed the Executive Office for United States Attorneys' Budget Officer; the Assistant United States Attorney, Deputy Chief, Violent Crime Narcotics Section for the District of Maryland; and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agents in Hagerstown, Maryland. The Assistant United States Attorney is also the Violent Crime Coordinator for the District of Maryland. We reviewed quarterly progress reports and case files in the DEA Hagerstown, Maryland, office and financial records in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. Our scope included the Tri-State VCTF operations from March 1995 through March 1997.

To obtain opinions on the effectiveness and results achieved by the Tri-State VCTF, we presented a questionnaire to the 2 DEA Special Agents, to the 9 agency heads or agency representatives supporting the task force, and to the 13 state and local law enforcement officers participating in the task force. We received responses from 20 task force participants.

The 17 questions included in the questionnaire were related to the goals and objectives identified in the approved task force proposal submitted by the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. We developed separate questions for each objective based on the information contained in the task force proposal.


APPENDIX II

TASK FORCE QUESTIONNAIRE

Task Force Name: TRI-STATE VIOLENT CRIME TASK FORCE

Task Force Location: HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND

NAME:                                                            

Title:                                                                 

Organization:                                                     

(1) Do you believe that the Tri-State Violent Crime Task Force (VCTF) has been successful in coordinating the activities of all participating agencies in the Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(2) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in enabling federal, state and local law enforcement officers to overcome the jurisdictional limitations in the I-81 corridor? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(3) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in coordinating interagency rural drug law enforcement between the United States Attorney's Office and state and local prosecuting organizations? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(4) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in forming a group of trained, deputized drug enforcement officers to conduct drug investigations under the general supervision of DEA agents in the I-81 corridor? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(5) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in providing additional resources, i.e., overtime, office equipment, computer equipment and investigative expense funds, to the rural police departments in the
Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(6) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in providing expertise on investigating drug related crimes to the rural police departments in the Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(7) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in gathering intelligence on drug traffickers in the I-81 Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(8) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in disseminating intelligence on drug traffickers in the I-81 Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(9) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in utilizing this intelligence to its maximum extent to identify organizations and members of drug trafficking groups? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(10) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in targeting drug organizations and members of drug trafficking groups in the Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(11) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in investigating the highest level drug violators in the Tri-State area? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(12) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in immobilizing violent drug traffickers or organizations in the I-81 corridor? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(13) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in identifying the assets of drug traffickers or organizations? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(14) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in seizing the assets of drug traffickers or organizations? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(15) Do you believe that the VCTF has been successful in returning a portion of those seized assets to the participating agencies to enhance their drug enforcement capabilities? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(16) Do you believe that the VCTF will be successful in developing the task force into a fully funded task force in the near future--staffed with full-time officers totally dedicated to drug law enforcement? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

(17) Do you believe that the DEA has been successful in managing the
day-to-day activities of the VCTF in the I-81 corridor? Please circle one.

Very Successful Somewhat Successful Limited Success No Success Don't Know

Comments:

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                          

 


APPENDIX III

TASK FORCE QUESTIONNAIRE - RESPONDENTS

Federal Officers:
DEA Special Agents, Hagerstown, Maryland, (2)

Agency Officers:
Chief of Police, Hagerstown, Maryland, (1)
Chief of Police, Winchester, Virginia, (1)
Chief of Police, Martinsburg, West Virginia, (1)
Sheriff, Washington County, Hagerstown, Maryland, (1)
Sheriff, Frederick County, Winchester, Virginia, (1)
Sheriff, Clark County, Berryville, Virginia, (1)
Special Agent in Charge (Drug Unit Commander), Virginia State Police,
Culpepper, Virginia, (1)
Captain, West Virginia State Police, South Charleston, West Virginia, (1)
Western Region Commander, Maryland State Police, Frederick, Maryland, (1)

State and Local Officers:
Hagerstown Police Department, (2)
Winchester Police Department, (2)
Martinsburg Police Department, (1)
Washington County Sheriff's Office, (2)
Frederick County Sheriff's Office, (1)
Clark County Sheriff's Office, (1)
Virginia State Police Department, (1)
West Virginia State Police Department, (1)
Maryland State Police Department, (2)

The numbers in the parenthesis indicate the number of participants in the VCTF. Twenty of the twenty-four participants responded to the questionnaire. The four that did not respond are state and local officers in the Washington County Sheriff's office, (2), Frederick County Sheriff's office, (1), and Maryland State Police Department, (1).

APPENDIX IV

RESPONSES TO TASK FORCE QUESTIONNAIRE BY ALL PARTICIPANTS

QUESTIONS VERY SUCCESSFUL SOMEWHAT SUCCESSFUL LIMITED SUCCESS NO
SUCCESS 		DO NOT KNOW N/A
(1) Coordination with participating agencies 8 5 2 2   3
(2) Overcome jurisdictional limitations 10 7 2 1    
(3) Coordinate rural drug law enforcement with USAO and state/local prosecuting organizations 10 4 3 1 2  
(4) Trained, deputized drug enforcement officers 6 8 2 2   2
(5) Provide additional resources 12 2   2 1 3
(6) Provide expertise on investigating drug related crime 9 8   2 1  
(7) Gather intelligence 12 4 1 1 2  
(8) Disseminate intelligence 11 6 1 1 1  
(9) Utilize intelligence 8 9   1 2  
(10) Target drug organizations 6 11   1 2  
(11) Investigate high-level drug violators 5 10 2 1 2  
(12) Immobilize violent drug traffickers 2 12 4 1 1  
(13) Identify assets of drug traffickers 5 10 2   3  
(14) Seize assets of drug traffickers 5 10   1 4  
(15) Return portion of seized assets 9 4 1 1 5  
(16) Develop VCTF into fully funded task force 7 3 2 1 7  
(17) Manage day-to-day activities 9 5   1 2 3

 


APPENDIX V

RESPONSES TO TASK FORCE QUESTIONNAIRE BY DEA SPECIAL AGENTS

QUESTIONS VERY SUCCESSFUL SOMEWHAT SUCCESSFUL LIMITED SUCCESS NO
SUCCESS 		DO NOT KNOW N/A
(1) Coordination with participating agencies 1 1        
(2) Overcome jurisdictional limitations 2          
(3) Coordinate rural drug law enforcement with USAO and state/local prosecuting organizations 1 1        
(4) Trained, deputized drug enforcement officers   2        
(5) Provide additional resources 2          
(6) Provide expertise on investigating drug related crime 2          
(7) Gather intelligence 2          
(8) Disseminate intelligence 1 1        
(9) Utilize intelligence 2          
(10) Target drug organizations 2          
(11) Investigate high-level drug violators 1 1        
(12) Immobilize violent drug traffickers 1 1        
(13) Identify assets of drug traffickers 1 1        
(14) Seize assets of drug traffickers 1 1        
(15) Return portion of seized assets 2          
(16) Develop VCTF into fully funded task force 1 1        
(17) Manage day-to-day activities   2        

 

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