Drug Unit
How do gangs organize themselves so efficiently? What is
the driving force that keeps gang members together? The ability
to make a substantial amount of money doing little or no
work is everyone’s dream. For many gang members, selling
illicit drugs is the activity they think will lead to that
reality.
Supervised by Assistant State's Attorney Mike
Knick, the
Drug Unit of the Will County State's Attorney's Office is
dedicated to imposing meaningful punishment for those who
use and traffic in illicit narcotics. Each of the five felony
courtrooms is staffed by an Assistant State's Attorney who
is assigned to narcotics cases only. Police Departments in
Will County that have the capability have devoted resources
to an organized effort to curb illicit drug trafficking.
By working with these specialized enforcement units, the
drug unit plays an important role in the community to stop
illicit drug use and sales.
In addition to their daily court calls, the members of the
Drug Unit spend their time writing search warrants which
authorize the seizure of narcotics from known drug houses.
They obtain judicially authorized eavesdrops which allows
law enforcement officers to develop further evidence against
suspected drug dealers. Perhaps the most meaningful tool
of all is the development of cases by the use of those already
charged with crimes themselves. Nothing gets at the heart
of organized narcotics activity like the use of a snitch
who helps prove a case against a drug dealer who may be his
or her friend or relative.
The members of the Will County State’s Attorney’s
Drug Unit take pride in the county-wide effort to curb illicit
drug trafficking. As with so many areas of criminal law,
public awareness and cooperation is the key to making this
effort a success. Anyone with information concerning drug
related activity is encouraged to contact your local police
department or the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Finally, it is a well known fact that drugs
wouldn’t
exist unless people wanted them, so the most cost-effective
way to combat drug crimes is to reduce the demand for drugs.
Parents can assist law enforcement by talking to their kids
about the dangers of drugs and setting and enforcing limits
and logical consequences that ensure kids understand and
respect their parents rules and are more inclined to resist
drug use. Parents can find help by browsing the Parenting
for Prevention section located in the Crime
Prevention menu item.
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