2000 Counterdrug Research and Development Blueprint Update
5.0 Future
Plans
CTAC plans efforts
in five areas of work:
- demand reduction
technology,
- nonintrusive
inspection technology,
- tactical technology,
- technical
assessments and operational test of emerging technologies, and
- transfer of
federally developed technology directly to State and local law enforcement
organizations.
These areas of
work concentrate on those counterdrug technologies needed by all Federal
drug control agencies as outlined in the Ten-Year Counterdrug Technology
Plan and Development Roadmap.
5.1 Demand
Reduction
In support
of Goal 3: Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal
drug use.
Resources will
be applied to initiatives that complement those of the National Institute
on Drug Abuse in prevention and treatment research, and the development
of state-of-the-art medical research instrumentation and equipment.
R&D program initiatives support and highlight research and technology,
including the acquisition and analysis of scientific data, to reduce
health and social costs of illegal drug use.The Demand Reduction R&D
program will continue to support:
- Expansion
of advanced neuroimaging research facilities and training of research
teams who are devoted to studies of drug abuse and therapeutic medications.
The technology will provide neuro-imaging research equipment suites
and facilities with the best positron emission tomography (PET),
functional nuclear magnetic resonance (fNMR) imaging, brain scan
image processing and interpretation, and other noninvasive brain
imaging techniques.
- Contribute
to the development of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography
(PET) systems development or improvements to image the drug's metabolic
and chemical processes, map brain reward circuitry, blood volume
and flow associated with drug metabolism, analyze interactions with
potential therapeutic medicines, ligand development, and study of
localized active areas of the brain.
- Micro-PET
with stereotactic probes/injectors to enhance ligand development
and studies on small localized areas of the brain and on non-human
primates.
- Scientific
studies and technologies that could provide the platform for key
research areas such as: catalytic antibodies as peripheral blockers
or circulating drug interceptors; substitute medications and partial
agonists for addiction; blocking drug effects by regulating uptake
of neurotransmitters; curtailment of drug-induced adaptive behavior
such as compulsive self-administration; assessment of functional
neuroanatomy and effects of cognitive impairment; pharmacological
phenomena and neurochemical effects relating to sensitization and
tolerance; cue induced craving; significance of various rewards;
the study of the effects and degree of genetic contributions to
drug use; and sound clinical techniques, rehabilitation, and treatment
protocols to deal with overdoses, withdrawal, and long term maintenance.
- Psychology,
pharmacology, and chemical assay techniques to improve our understanding
of the effects of drugs on the body, techniques for assessing and
monitoring drug addiction and abuse severity, and techniques for
treatment/client matching.
- Drug testing
in sports, investigate innovative approaches for screening for doping
and other performance enhancing substances and drugs currently not
detectable by urine tests, and to develop cheaper test procedures
for handling urine specimens collected from competing athletes.
Systems, methods, and protocols that will assist understanding and
detecting the use of performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic
and androgenic steroids by athletes competing locally, nationally,
and internationally.
- Youth/first
time offender diversion, expansion of the analytical capabilities
of the National Evaluation of Substance Abuse Treatment computer
network, and therapeutic treatments for cocaine addiction.
5.2 Supply
Reduction
CTAC's plan is
based upon priority scientific and technological needs. The outstanding
priority scientific and technological needs for U.S. Customs Service,
Department of Defense, U.S. Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration,
Immigration and Naturalization Service, National Institute of Justice
and Federal Bureau of Investigation are listed in Appendix
B. The direction of CTAC's R&D program is established according
to the following criteria:
- Fulfill the
highest priority, unmet needs of the largest user set possible,
- Address broad-based,
multi-agency needs that transcend the requirements of any single
agency,
- Concentrate
on those applications that will lead to transfer to the Technology
Transfer Program.
Last year, CTAC
participated in the bilateral meetings held at the first United States-United
Kingdom (UK) Drug Summit in London. CTAC also held its first joint
project-planning meeting in Israel. Based on the success of these
meetings, the cooperative efforts with the UK (Police Scientific Development
Branch) will be expanded to include an R&D project to develop a hand
held roadside drug testing breathalyzer-type system. The meeting with
the Israeli Federal Police has lead to a project for tactical intelligence
support data relay to officers at the scene of a drug crime.
Areas of work
that support future activities include technologies for nonintrusive
inspection of conveyances and cargo containers, and for tactical use
in daily activities.
5.2.1 Nonintrusive
Inspection
In support
of Goal 4: Shield America's air, land, and sea frontiers from the
drug threat.
R&D program initiatives
will support and highlight research and technology, including the
development of scientific information and data to detect, disrupt,
deter, and seize illegal drugs in transit to the United States and
at U.S. borders.
A project is planned
with the Police Science Development Branch of the Home Office (UK)
to extend the use of Surface Enhanced Resonance Raman Spectroscopy
(SERRS) technology, currently being used for detection of explosives,
to applications to detect illicit drugs. The feasibility of using
Raman spectrometry in a drug analyzer to detect drugs in solid mixtures
is also being considered in conjunction with the DEA, Customs and
Coast Guard.
Priority needs
in nonintrusive inspection technology (from Appendix
B) for which CTAC will solicit advanced concepts are:
- improved X-ray
and gamma ray detector technology,
- Surface Acoustic
Wave - Immunoassay technology for narcotics detection,
- program for
selective breeding of dogs for special applications,
- canine enforcement
program R&D facility,
- hand-held bulk
currency detector,
- rapid location
of drugs "secreted" on-board maritime vessels during at-sea and
port-side searches,
- rapid detection
of drugs in cars, without removing occupants,
- accurate signatures
for detectable illicit drug emissions in operational environments
for physical and chemical detection,
- portable/transportable
capability to detect and classify drugs and contraband in vessels,
compartments and containers of all sizes.
5.2.2 Tactical
Technologies
In support
of Goal 2: Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially
reducing drug related crime and violence.
R&D initiatives
strengthen Federal law enforcement capabilities to combat drug-related
violence, disrupt criminal organizations, and arrest and prosecute
the leaders of illegal drug syndicates through the development of
advanced technology tools. The tactical technologies effort supports
development of advanced techniques and concepts for drug detection,
location and monitoring of clandestine methamphetamine labs, surveillance,
tracking, and communications technologies for daily operations. These
technologies are also candidates for transfer to State and local law
enforcement organizations with similar requirements.
Priority needs
in tactical technologies (from Appendix B)
for which CTAC will solicit advanced concepts are:
- miniaturized
covert tagging and tracking devices,
- next generation
"tags" for aircraft, maritime, and ground targets,
- improved communications
systems to share data across platforms, including tactical picture,
from multiple sensor inputs: voice, data imagery, tactical situation
information,
- unmanned aerial
vehicles which can be operated from large cutters at sea,
- information
and decision support systems,
- web-based intelligence/information
architecture. Identification of potentially suspicious activity
and of aggregate patterns and trends from large databases by linking
together relevant information and by search for similar (versus
identical) information,
- a system that
provides facial identification under surveillance conditions,
- a method to
detect operating clandestine cocaine manufacturing labs,
- a method to
detect operating clandestine methamphetamine manufacturing labs,
- the capability
to combine future wide bandwidth Internet devices with full or near
full motion video imaging,
- miniature,
low power GPS tracking devices which utilize national terrestrial
packet switch communications networks,
- miniature,
low power GPS data loggers embedded in common equipment and packages,
- night vision
capability, including fixed and mobile long range surveillance target
acquisition systems, wearable goggles, hand-held "pocket" units,
- secure, digital,
wireless and interoperable agency wide communications, and
- portable "helicopter
to ship" transmission link of detailed photographs.
5.3 Infrastructure
Support
This CTAC program
element provides testbeds, instrumentation and engineering support
to perform testing of prototype systems in operational environments.
Planned testbed efforts include covert tags, video stabilization,
wireless intercept systems, methamphetamine laboratory analysis techniques,
tactical communications systems and communications interoperability
technology. Federally sponsored tactical and nonintrusive inspection
systems qualified as mature by the testbed program will be considered
for the Technology Transfer Program.
CTAC also sponsors
international technical symposia, leadership conferences and workshops
to gather the latest developments in prevention, treatment and counterdrug
law enforcement technologies for world-class research scientists and
user experts to evaluate the advancing state-of-the-art.
5.4 Technology
Transfer Program
The latest information
on the Technology Transfer Program can be accessed on-line at www.epgctac.com.
Over the past three years, CTAC has sponsored 18 regional one-day
workshops and/or meetings to promote the use of advanced technology
and increase an awareness of the Technology Transfer Program. The
goal of the TTP is to demonstrate the impact and benefit of advanced
systems to State and local law enforcement organizations. Some of
these benefits include improved use of personnel resources, increased
officer safety, better time efficiency, and reduced crime.
The strategy for
nationwide deployment of technology will continue to concentrate on:
- support
the officer on the street with high technology tools to increase
effectiveness of personnel resources and improve officer safety
by continuing the transfer of systems to requesting agencies,
- target specialized
law enforcement groups and organizations that will benefit from
the successful deployment of more complex, larger scale systems
for communications interoperability and data mining applications
in support of longer-term drug trafficking conspiracy investigations.
This will be accomplished by refining the outreach effort and increasing
the training provided to receiving agencies, and
- assure that
the optimum set of technologies is being offered. This effort
will include the introduction of new technologies to the program,
improvements to existing systems, and elimination of technologies
that no longer meet operational requirements or can be replaced
with next-generation technology.
5.5 Conclusions
In the Demand
Reduction area, technology and infrastructure capabilities that complement
NIDA initiatives in prevention and treatment research are being pursued.
Additionally, the DENS backbone is being used to accommodate innovative
methodologies for estimating the number of hardcore drug users by
region and nationwide. The vision is to provide a system architecture
to project drug abuse trends, treatment modalities, and populations
at risk across the nation in real time.
In Supply Reduction,
efforts are concentrated on finding technological solutions to meet
the needs of the officer on the beat. These technologies provide improved
communications, surveillance and drug crime information sharing capabilities
to make the law enforcement missions more effective and safe. Technologies
proven at the Federal level are being provided to State and local
law enforcement through the continuing Technology Transfer Program.
Advanced coded
aperture and neutron probe technologies are being developed to examine
drug shipments as they enter the country. These advanced nonintrusive
inspection technology concepts will, in time, replace the X-ray and
gamma ray technology now used to search conveyances and cargo for
hidden drugs at our ports-of-entry.
An outreach program
was begun several years ago which included one-day regional workshops
held at strategic locations across the country. These workshops served
to increase the awareness of technologies developed by Federal agencies
that could improve operations for State and locals. The success of
the Technology Transfer Program, made possible with funding from Congress,
has demonstrated that the users at the State and local level are eager
to receive advanced tools, but they need associated training and support
to effectively deploy new systems.
