Chasing The Drugs, Guns And Violence: A Look Back At Shadowing Philadelphia Narcotics Officers

Back in 2012, on assignment for Counterterrorism magazine, I went out and shadowed Philadelphia narcotic officers on drug raids. 

Unfortunately, not much has changed since I accompanied the narcotics officers that night. With the introduction of the deadly narcotic fentanyl, the drug crisis has become even worse.

You can read my piece below or the below text:

“We have two search warrants set up for today,” Philadelphia Police Officer Theresa Weaver told her passenger, a writer along for the ride to Southwest Philadelphia to observe the actions of the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Field Unit South. “We will be attempting to make buys with a confidential informant. And if those buys are successful, we’ll be executing the two search warrants on the properties.” 

Weaver explains that they generally have confidential informants (CIs) make two or three narcotics buys before they execute a warrant. 

“These are independent, street level drug dealers,” her partner, Officer Greg Barber explained. 

Barber, who grew up in West and Southwest Philadelphia, said that crack cocaine and heroin were the popular drugs being sold on the street. 

“Most of your crime is associated with drugs. The stealing and the shootings, the robberies and the home invasions are committed by people trying to get money for drugs,” Barber said. “Drugs lead to confrontations between different neighborhoods and that’s when the shootings come about.” 

There are ten officers in the squad, and they met in the 19th Police District to plan for the first raid on a drug house. The officers are dressed mostly in Dickies work clothing, which allows them to blend in on the street. 

The officers were given assignments and positions. One officer was equipped with a hand-held battering ram to take down the door and another officer was issued a shotgun. Two uniform officers were assigned to accompany the undercover narcotics officers. 

“Because of the way we execute the warrants, we don’t give them an opportunity to fight,” Weaver said. “Planning is everything,” 

Barber added. The squad parked their unmarked cars in the vicinity of the drug house and waited for the call on their radio that said the confidential informant (CI) made the buy. The buy was made and the officers rushed to the house and quickly placed several young men down on the porch and placed them in handcuffs. 

A couple of young men ran and some of the officers chased them down the street. The remaining officers searched the house for drugs and guns. The officers found crack and marijuana and they found two guns hidden in the ceiling. 

Lt Robert Otto, the unit’s commander, explained that the narcotics unit requires a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice from the officers, aside from the fact that they are putting their lives on the line. 

“Crack and heroin are the most addictive drugs I’ve seen in my career and with that I see a lot of violence,” Otto said. “Recently, there has also been a surge in the abuse and sale of prescription pills.” 

Otto said that close to 50% of their investigations now deal with prescription drugs, which are extremely addictive. 

“We also get involved with chasing the violence,” Otto explained. “A lot of violent crime happens as a result of narcotics.” 

Sgt Berle “Chico” Brereton, a 24-year narcotics veteran and the son of a retired narcotics officer, explained that the squad attacks the mid-level to lower-level drug traffickers on the street. 

“We’ve hit this house before and we’ve gotten guns and drugs out of this house before. This is one of the problem houses in the district. They had a homicide here last year,” Brereton said. 

Brereton said they put in a call to have the city “seal” the house so the drug dealers can’t return to operate there. “We’ll shut this nuisance down, get the guns off the street and maybe no one will get shot here.” 

Brereton said the people who are buying drugs at this level are users who break into cars, break into people’s houses, and rob people on the street to get money to buy drugs. 

“There are decent people here who can’t move. We’re the only people who are going to help them,” Brereton said. “We’re proactive. We come out here every day and lock people up. We call the Southwest detectives and they come and debrief the people we locked up and then follow up on shootings, homicides and crimes like that. “My squad is predominantly black,” Brereton said. “We try to preach to the young black kids involved with drugs.” 

Otto said that one of the main objectives was to get into a house like this and remove the guns that normally go with drugs and violence. He said that the two recovered guns might be responsible for countless murders. “I tell my guys all of the time; you’re never going to know until you meet your Maker just how many people you have saved by getting these guns off the street,” Otto said.

How Mohammed & The Fatboy Got Caught With 225 Pounds Of Marijuana But Beat The Rap (Thanks To Philly D.A. Seth Williams)

Veteran reporter Ralph Cipriano offers a piece at bigtrial.net on the feud between the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Unit and the DA.

On Jan. 17, 2012, the Philadelphia Police Department's Narcotics Field Unit South tailed a suspected drug dealer to a garage, where they confiscated 53 pounds of hydroponic marijuana with a street value of $481,240.

When the cops interviewed the suspect, Mohammed Samhan, 26, of Los Angeles, he decided to cooperate and give up another marijuana dealer. The cops subsequently raided the home of Kit "Fatboy" Poon, 41, of Northeast Philadelphia. This time, they confiscated 172 pounds of hydroponic marijuana with a street value of $1,565,420.

Faced with serious jail time, Poon decided that he too wanted to cooperate. He told the cops he knew about an even bigger future marijuana shipment due to arrive by tractor-trailer.

With the two accused drug dealers in custody, Lt. Robert Otto, supervisor of the narcs, called Chief Jan McDermott of the District Attorney's Dangerous Drug Offenders Unit, and requested that McDermott conduct "proffers" with both suspects. [A proffer is an interview where, in exchange for information about criminal activity, a prosecutor agrees not to use that information against the suspect.]

That's when the system broke down. Two confidential police memorandums obtained by Big Trial lay out the details of what's been described in court papers as a "petty and childish feud" between the narcs and the Philly D.A.'s office. It was an old fashioned turf battle over who sat in on proffers, which law enforcement agency would collect drug forfeiture money, and who got credit for major drug busts.

Seth Williams put an end to the feud when he announced, via a letter leaked to the media -- without a shred of evidence to back him up -- that the district attorney's office would no longer prosecute any drug cases involving Lt. Otto or five of his officers.  The narcs and their supervisor were subsequently transferred out of the narcotics unit.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.bigtrial.net/2016/09/how-two-drug-dealers-who-got-caught-red.html#more

Note: While on assignment for Counterterrorism magazine I went out on drug raids with Lt. Robert Otto and his narcotics unit. You can read the piece via the below link:

 http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2012/05/chasing-drugs-guns-and-violence-night.html

Bad Boys, Bad Boys: 'Cops' Makes Crime Pay On TV

I've gone out on 'ride-alongs' with Philadelphia police officers a good number of times.

I've enjoyed my tours out on the mean streets of Philadelphia with Philly's finest.

I've observed the cruel and violent behavior of criminals, the stunned and sad responses of crime victims, and the hard work and often brave actions of the police officers.

I've also been amused by the stupidity and crassness of criminals and by the cop's telling banter. Cops can very funny.

Going out on patrol with cops is more entertaining than watching TV.

Of course Cops, the long-running TV program and the original reality show, offers this experience to TV viewers.          

I've watched the program for years and I own a DVD copy of Cops: The 20th Anniversary Edition. 

Unfortunately, Cops may be in trouble.

John Jurgensen at the Wall Street Journal reports on Cops' history and uncertain future.

How did "Cops" become an American institution?

With its reggae theme song and its unvarnished premise, the influential series remains the TV public's most direct portal to the raw world of street crime, even as competing shows and changes in law enforcement have made "Cops" harder to produce.

Though some TV watchers might be surprised to discover it's still on the air, the show begins a 25th season next month. It is the longest-running entertainment series on prime-time network television. Moreover, 850 episodes in, the series has earned about $400 million through reruns alone. But it's possible this will be its final season on Fox.    

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323551004578117362117479612.html

You can also read my magazine piece about my night out with Philadelphia's Narcotics Field Unit South via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2012/05/chasing-drugs-guns-and-violence-night.html

Chasing The Drugs, Guns And Violence: My Night Out With The Philadelphia Police Narcotics Field Unit South

My piece on my night out with the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Field Unit South appears in the latest issue of Counterterrorism magazine. 

You can read the piece above or the below text:

“We have two search warrants set up for today,” Philadelphia Police Officer Theresa Weaver told her passenger, a writer along for the ride to Southwest Philadelphia to observe the actions of the Philadelphia Police Narcotics Field Unit South. “We will be attempting to make buys with a confidential informant. And if those buys are successful, we’ll be executing the two search warrants on the properties.” 

Weaver explains that they generally have confidential informants (CIs) make two or three narcotics buys before they execute a warrant. 

“These are independent, street level drug dealers,” her partner, Officer Greg Barber explained. 

Barber, who grew up in West and Southwest Philadelphia, said that crack cocaine and heroin were the popular drugs being sold on the street. 

“Most of your crime is associated with drugs. The stealing and the shootings, the robberies and the home invasions are committed by people trying to get money for drugs,” Barber said. “Drugs lead to confrontations between different neighborhoods and that’s when the shootings come about.” 

There are ten officers in the squad, and they met in the 19th Police District to plan for the first raid on a drug house. The officers are dressed mostly in Dickies work clothing, which allows them to blend in on the street. 

The officers were given assignments and positions. One officer was equipped with a hand-held battering ram to take down the door and another officer was issued a shotgun. Two uniform officers were assigned to accompany the undercover narcotics officers. 

“Because of the way we execute the warrants, we don’t give them an opportunity to fight,” Weaver said. “Planning is everything,” 

Barber added. The squad parked their unmarked cars in the vicinity of the drug house and waited for the call on their radio that said the confidential informant (CI) made the buy. The buy was made and the officers rushed to the house and quickly placed several young men down on the porch and placed them in handcuffs. 

A couple of young men ran and some of the officers chased them down the street. The remaining officers searched the house for drugs and guns. The officers found crack and marijuana and they found two guns hidden in the ceiling. 

Lt Robert Otto, the unit’s commander, explained that the narcotics unit requires a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice from the officers, aside from the fact that they are putting their lives on the line. 

“Crack and heroin are the most addictive drugs I’ve seen in my career and with that I see a lot of violence,” Otto said. “Recently, there has also been a surge in the abuse and sale of prescription pills.” 

Otto said that close to 50% of their investigations now deal with prescription drugs, which are extremely addictive. 

“We also get involved with chasing the violence,” Otto explained. “A lot of violent crime happens as a result of narcotics.” 

Sgt Berle “Chico” Brereton, a 24-year narcotics veteran and the son of a retired narcotics officer, explained that the squad attacks the mid-level to lower-level drug traffickers on the street. 

“We’ve hit this house before and we’ve gotten guns and drugs out of this house before. This is one of the problem houses in the district. They had a homicide here last year,” Brereton said. 

Brereton said they put in a call to have the city “seal” the house so the drug dealers can’t return to operate there. “We’ll shut this nuisance down, get the guns off the street and maybe no one will get shot here.” 

Brereton said the people who are buying drugs at this level are users who break into cars, break into people’s houses, and rob people on the street to get money to buy drugs. 

“There are decent people here who can’t move. We’re the only people who are going to help them,” Brereton said. “We’re proactive. We come out here every day and lock people up. We call the Southwest detectives and they come and debrief the people we locked up and then follow up on shootings, homicides and crimes like that. “My squad is predominantly black,” Brereton said. “We try to preach to the young black kids involved with drugs.” 

Otto said that one of the main objectives was to get into a house like this and remove the guns that normally go with drugs and violence. He said that the two recovered guns might be responsible for countless murders. “I tell my guys all of the time; you’re never going to know until you meet your Maker just how many people you have saved by getting these guns off the street,” Otto said.