Abstract

The Golden Arm of the Law

Changes are occurring in the once-loose world of the drug salesman. One heats rumors of new criminal organizations coalescing around narcotics distribution. The pressure for narcotics that is pulling crime into new forms of organization, is breaking up the police. There have been some notable exceptions: the federal-local strike forces, with their pooled information and manpower, have made impressive seizures and arrests, and one can assume even greater effectiveness in the future. The sad fact, however, is that these rather glamorous forays constitute only a small part of the total police activity against narcotics violations. The major, more routine, day-to-day work is so structured that it automatically fragments a narcotics division and drives it into a position where illegal action may be easy and legal action difficult, even close to impossible.