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Midwest HIDTA

General Information:
  Year of Designation:  1996
  Geographic Area of Responsibility:
    Iowa:

Muscatine, Polk, Pottawattamie, Scott, Marshall, Black Hawk, Appanoose, Woodbury, and Linn counties;

    Kansas:

Cherokee, Crawford, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Saline, Seward, Barton, Sedgwick, Finney, Shawnee, Miami, Franklin, and Wyandotte counties;

    Missouri:

Cape Girardeau, Christian, Clay, Jackson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Ray, Scott, St. Charles, Greene, Benton, Buchanan, Jasper, Texas, Platte, Marion, and St. Louis counties.

    Nebraska:

Dakota, Dawson, Douglas, Hall, Lancaster, Sarpy, Madison, Dodge, Gage, Jefferson, Platte, and Scott's Bluff counties;

    South Dakota:

Clay, Codington, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Lincoln, Meade, Minnehaha, Pennington, Union, Brown, Brookings, Beadle, and Yankton counties;

    North Dakota:

Burleigh, Cass, Grand Forks, Morton, Ramsey, Richland, Walsh, and Ward;

    Contact: (816) 746-4911

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Midwest HIDTA is to reduce drug availability in critical and identified markets by creating and supporting intelligence driven enforcement task forces aimed at eliminating or reducing domestic drug trafficking and its harmful consequences through enhancing and helping to coordinate drug trafficking control efforts among federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. Central to this effort is the formation and enhancement of enforcement task forces.

Threat Abstract:

The outlook for the Midwest HIDTA region can best be described by focusing on two distinct entities, urban and rural. Densely populated urban areas in the region, not unlike other large cities in the nation, will continue to experience major problems with all drugs, especially cocaine. Along with cocaine, other frequently reported problem drugs including methamphetamine and marijuana continue to be popular in the large urban cities of St. Louis, Kansas City and Omaha. Heroin will likely remain prevalent primarily in St. Louis. MDMA, GHB and other dangerous drugs known as �club drugs� are also consistently present in urban areas.

The ready availability and extensive demand for cocaine and marijuana will continue to be major threats to the entire Midwest HIDTA region. Arrest, seizure and abuse statistics confirm that transportation and distribution of cocaine and marijuana, predominantly through Mexican DTOs, shows no sign of weakening. Wholesale manufacture, transportation and distribution will continue to be dominated by Mexican drug trafficking organizations

Heroin abuse, although a minor threat in most areas of the region, has been reported in available supply in urban areas. Although DTO's operating in this region are poly-drug operations, the overall most significant enforcement problem in the Midwest HIDTA region remains methamphetamine. Law enforcement continues to confront multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine being transported into the region by Mexican trafficking organizations, and the production of lesser amounts of high-quality methamphetamine in local clandestine laboratories.

Strategy Abstract:

The HIDTA Strategy is implemented through several components. Each state, through designated Advisory Boards of law enforcement professionals, has identified threat, and developed enforcement strategies and investigative initiatives. The Midwest HIDTA Executive Board, and the Office of the Midwest HIDTA Director, coordinates the integration and synchronization of all participating agencies' initiatives to ensure a unified regional effort.

The Midwest HIDTA Executive Board is composed of executives from twelve federal and twelve state or local law enforcement agencies. The Board provides programmatic oversight, of all 41 initiatives. The initiatives are organized into and support six counter-drug subsystems (Coordination, Intelligence, Investigations, Forensic Lab Enhancement, Prosecution and Demand Reduction) each subsystem is integral to the success of the HIDTA. The Midwest HIDTA Investigative mission is to facilitate and assist task forces and other federal, state, and local enforcement agencies within the region in identifying, targeting and dismantling narcotic distribution and trafficking organizations or drug manufacturing operations.

Investigative Support Center:

The MHISC, co-managed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, is a multi-agency coalition consisting of federal, state, and local agencies located within the six states Midwest HIDTA. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the MHISC is electronically linked to task force locations and key state agencies in each of the states. The MHISC collects and analyzes information from all Midwest HIDTA task forces and participating task forces and agencies. The MHISC provides event and subject deconfliction services, multi-source name checks, investigative case support, toll analysis, charting, graphic work, post seizure analysis and trend/predictive analysis. By improving the exchange of intelligence and information through more efficient coordination and communications, the MHISC enhances the ability of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify, arrest, and prosecute key members of trafficking organizations and individuals involved in the clandestine manufacturing of narcotics. The MHISC coordinates and utilizes three separate initiatives to enhance and implement the intelligence subsystem. The first is the FBI CIU/Terrorism Squad 3 in Kansas City. The CIU consists of representatives from various local, state and federal agencies within the Kansas City area. The group collects and analyzes information regarding Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) and disseminates this information to the MHISC for sharing with other law enforcement agencies. The FBI Criminal Intelligence Group is collocated within the ISC facility and has expanded its mission to provide interface and activity into terrorism and Homeland Security. The second initiative supporting the MHISC is the DEA St. Louis Intelligence Group. This initiative assists in gathering, analyzing, and evaluating information to the St. Louis DEA regional enforcement area. While physically located in St. Louis, the initiative is electronically connected via firebird, and HIDTA.net to facilitate exchange of information and intelligence products. The initiative primarily focuses on both domestic and international intelligence support to DEA led Midwest HIDTA task forces. The initiative also addresses DTO-CPOT intelligence issues in the St. Louis DEA geographic region. The third integrated initiative is the Bureau of ATF Regional Intelligence Group, which is collocated within the MHISC facility. This group provides intelligence support and assistance within the Kansas City Division area of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. This collocation will enhance the coordination of intelligence relating to firearms, gun tracing, domestic terrorism, and violent drug trafficking offenders. Over 640 users at 71 different locations have connectivity to the ISC through the implementation of HIDTA.net. The Midwest HIDTA is a primary use site for the National Clandestine Lab Database, developed by EPIC and the National Virtual Pointer System.

Participating Agencies:

Federal: ATF, DEA, FBI, ICE, IRS, United States Attorney's Office (Northern and Southern District of Iowa, District of Kansas, Western and Eastern Districts of Missouri, District of Nebraska, District of North Dakota, and District of South Dakota), USMS, USBP, USFS.

State/Local: Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa National Guard, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas National Guard, Missouri Department of Public Safety, Missouri National Guard, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Nebraska State Patrol, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, South Dakota National Guard, South Dakota State Attorney's Office, South Dakota Attorney General's Office, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (ND).

Iowa: Altoona Police Department, Ankeny Police Department, Davenport Police Department, Des Moines Police Department, Eldora Police Department, Grundy County Sheriff's Department, Hardin County Sheriff's Department, Iowa Falls Police Department, Marshall County Prosecutor's Office, Marshall County Sheriff's Department, Marshalltown Police Department, Muscatine Police Department, Muscatine County Sheriff's Office, Plymouth County Sheriff's Department, Polk County Sheriff's Office, Sioux City Police Department, South Sioux City Police Department, Tama Police Department, Tama County Sheriff's Department, Woodbury County Sheriff's Office.

Kansas: Bonner Springs Police Department, Crawford County Sheriff's Office, Finney County Sheriff's Office, Garden City Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff's Office, Kansas City Police Department, Leavenworth Police Department, Olathe Police Department, Overland Park Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department.

Missouri: Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, Cape Girardeau Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff's Department, Christian County Sheriff's Office, Dunklin Police Department, Dysart Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff's Department, Grandview Police Department, Green County Sheriff's Office, Independence Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Kansas City Police Department, Lake St. Louis Police Department, O'Fallon Police Department, Platte County Sheriff's Department, Richmond Police Department, Sikeston Department of Public Safety, Springfield Police Department, St. Charles Police Department, St. Charles County Sheriff's Department, St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, St. Louis County Police Department, St. Louis Police Department, Stoddard County Sheriff's Department, Trenton Police Department, Wentzville Police Department.

Nebraska: Adams County Sheriff's Office, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, Grand Island Police Department, Lincoln Police Department, Nebraska Police Department, Scottsbluff Sheriffs Office, Gering Police Department, Scottsbluff Police Department, Fremont Police Department, Dodge County Sheriff Department, Hooper/Scribner Police Department, Blair Police Department, Burt County Sheriff Department.

North Dakota: Minot Police Department, Ward County Sheriff, Grand Forks Police Department, Grand Forks County Sheriff, Walsh County Sheriff, Fargo Police Department, Cass County Sheriff. South Dakota: Lawrence County Sheriff's Department, Meade County Sheriff's Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department, Minnehaha County State Attorney's Office, Pennington County Sheriff's Office, Pennington County Attorney's Office, Sioux Falls Police Department.

Other: Lincoln/Lancaster Task Force (NE), Tri-City Task Force (NE), Tri-State Task Force (NE), Metro Task Force (NE), North Central Task Force (MO), Southeast Missouri Task Force (MO), St. Charles Drug Task Force (MO), Jackson Co. Drug Task Force (MO), Lincoln Co. Drug Task Force (SD), Partnership for a Drug Free America, Partnership for a Drug Free Iowa, Omaha Community, Partnership Toward a Drug Free Nebraska, Partnership for a Drug Free Missouri, South Dakota Plus, Drug Abuse Resistance Education in Nebraska, Drug Abuse Resistance Education in South Dakota, Drug Abuse Resistance Education in Missouri, Drug Abuse Resistance Education in Iowa, Drug Abuse Resistance Education in Kansas, Drug Abuse Resistance Education of America.

Significant Achievements:

The Midwest HIDTA through the Office of the Director continues to lead efforts to implement the ONDCP HIDTA connectivity and intelligence-sharing project. The establishment of a Wide Area Network between HIDTA's, with ONDCP National HIDTA Program Office, and with National data centers, such as HIDTA Assistance Center, EPIC, and NDIC, is a priority project to implement the General Counterdrug Intelligence Plan, and fulfill the mission of the National and the Midwest HIDTA Program. The use of riss.net to build HIDTA.net and existing technology makes it possible to accomplish connecting different HIDTA's together. Midwest HIDTA is a NODE on this secure Virtual Private Network system, and continues to develop and host intelligence resources for HIDTA agencies and task forces. In addition, a suspect pointer system for HIDTA task forces called SafetyNet was further expanded. Over 640 users at 71 enforcement locations were connected via the HIDTA.net intranet system.

The Midwest HIDTA continues to interact with other HIDTA regions in areas involving best practices and information sharing. The Midwest HIDTA is an active participant in the development and full implementation of the EPIC National Clan Lab Database (CLSS), and the National Virtual Pointer System. Midwest HIDTA is also assisting state agencies in developing and initiating systematic information and intelligence sharing utilizing the common national connectivity plan, riss.net/hidta.net/LEO.

The Midwest HIDTA's strategy, coordinating the efforts of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies, strives to develop and institutionalize a region-wide intelligence sharing network and also provides resources to enhance law enforcement, forensic laboratory capabilities, and prosecution efforts throughout the region. The participating agencies in the six state area enjoy a spirit of cooperation and sense of unity that is essential in achieving the goals and objectives of the Midwest HIDTA.

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Last Updated: February 7, 2005