Class 13-16 Week #9

Week #9: Drug enforcement – Cape Cod Drug Task Force

Class #9 was Drug Enforcement, presented by Trooper Scott McCabe, who is a member of the Cape Cod Drug Task Force. Scott has many years of undercover work experience and had lots of information to share. For example, only a couple of years ago, pills were the primary source of opiate addiction; now, it's cocaine and heroin. Scott demonstrated how to make a "corner cut" bag of heroin, which certainly looks innocuous enough, but to a trained law enforcement official easily recognizable. Heroin is regularly cut with similar white powdered substances, such as inositol, lactose, powdered sugar, and cornstarch. Fentanyl is also being mixed in with it, and fentanyl is 40 to 50 times stronger than heroin--often leading to fatal overdoses. The Drug Task Force meets weekly to keep members current and up to date on drug enforcement activities. Members include the State Police; local police departments; Deputy Sheriffs; the Barnstable County Sheriff's office; and federal agents from ATF, DEA, and the FBI. According to Trooper McCabe (and as the class has previously heard), narcotics are the underlying cause for the majority of crime on the Cape, including B&E, assaults, armed robbery, bank robbery, and homicide.
Ride-alongs: One student went out with Officer Brunelli  and another student went out with Officer Grigorenko; both were able to observe traffic stop procedures.

Next week's class: Chapter 90 (Motor Vehicle Law) and Patrol Procedures.
Also: class photo will be taken prior to class, at the Police Department at 6 pm.                    Contributing Editor, Donna Leiss

Photos courtesy of Pauline Fortin and Bob Nichols