MOBILE DRUG DEALING IS ON THE RISE
October 19th, 2009Mobile drug dealing is when a dealer uses a cell phone and a car to meet with buyers at random locations. Often these locations are in quiet, residential neighborhoods where the buyer and seller believe the transaction will go unnoticed. With participation from residents and business owners, the situation can be curbed and hopefully stopped.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
Suspicious behavior typically displayed by people engaged in mobile drug dealing:
• Continuous car / foot traffic around the block or back and forth on the same route multiple times
• The same vehicle meeting up with many different vehicles for short times
• The same person seen in many different vehicles
• Strange vehicles from out of the area
• Hand-to-hand transactions
• Transactions through car windows
• Cell phone usage and then meeting someone
• Headlight or brake light flashing
• Hand signaling (waving off the meeting)
• Someone taking or placing objects in odd places of the
• Observation of drug packaging materials, passing of money, or other goods
WHAT TO DO:
• Have pencil and paper handy to note your observations
• Call 911 when you spot the activity occurring.
• When observing and recording the suspected criminal activity, please note the following:
• Plate number and state of issue on involved vehicles. Give a brief vehicle description: make and model, color, 2 door or 4 door, truck or car.
• Suspect descriptions; race, gender, approximate age/height/weight or build, clothing description, any other distinguishing characteristics, and last direction of travel.
• Brief description of what you saw, e.g., hand to hand drug transaction or a scenario that appears to be a drug transaction.
• Where did the suspects take the drugs from; clothing, passenger compartment, trunk, from under the hood, or a hidden compartment someplace on the vehicle?
• Please note: Call 911 even if the vehicles have left the area. Get the direction of travel. A message will be sent to the squad mobile computers and officers can check the area for the vehicles involved.
Once this information has been given to 911, contact Crime Prevention Specialist Amy Lavender with the same information. The Fifth Precinct has developed a program to curb and hopefully stop mobile drug dealing. It is called the Dear John Letter. If a license plate is obtained, a letter can be sent to the registered owner stating that the vehicle was seen engaged in activity consistent with mobile drug dealing. The letter is not an accusation nor is it a ticket. It is simply a warning that the vehicle is being watched by residents and the parties involved will eventually get caught if the activity doesn’t cease. It also advises the registered owner that if the vehicle has been sold and the title not transferred to get that handled promptly.
In the past year, I have had many success stories regarding the Dear John program and would like to continue that and see it grow. Please help me in the continued fight against mobile drug dealing. Thank you!
Amy Lavender
Crime Prevention Specialist
(612) 673-5407
amy.lavender@ci.minneapolis.mn.us