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Drug Courts, Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs: A Broader Look at Law Enforcement

NCJ Number
228365
Date Published
2003
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This report examines and emphasizes the significant role played by law enforcement in the success of drug courts.
Abstract
Drug court is a model of community policing, initiated in Miami in 1989, and shaped around principles of prevention, empowerment, collaboration, and cooperative problem solving. However, in spite of the remarkable success of drug courts, the connections between drug court and law enforcement are not understood. It is a challenge to work with individuals in understanding the law enforcement aspect of drug courts, in addition to the treatment aspect of drug courts. This report attempts to show that law enforcement is not incidental to the drug court process. In the drug court setting, law enforcement is necessary and critical to achieving the mission and goals of the drug court program. Drug court enhances the credibility of law enforcement in the community. The report is divided into five chapters with each chapter addressing the important role law enforcement plays within the overall drug court program. Appendix