The Boulder County Drug Task Force, established in 1988 and managed under the auspices of the Sheriff’s Office, is a multi-agency law enforcement task force whose primary focus is to investigate violations of state and federal drug laws.
The Boulder County Drug Task Force (BCDTF)
The BCDTF is comprised of detectives, supervisors, and personnel from:
- Boulder County Sheriff’s Office
- Boulder Police Department
- Lafayette Police Department
- District Attorney’s Office
The Drug Task Force serves the towns of Lyons, Nederland and Superior as well because the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office provides contract law enforcement services to those communities.
Establishing a task force allowed the various agencies involved to reduce the number of detectives assigned to their individual narcotics units, allowing the reallocation of staff to other functions. The reallocation also saves money and improves the efficiency and effectiveness of drug investigations and investigations that requires the skill sets and equipment utilized by the BCDTF.
The BCDTF is comprised of
- Six detectives
- Two sergeants
- A commander
- An administrative support position
- Two Deputy District Attorneys
Detectives are assigned to the Task Force for three to five years before rotating back to their contributing agency. They receive numerous hours of drug investigation training and other trainings for the multiple skill sets needed for these types of investigations. They also attend a forty-hour certification class in Clandestine Lab Response and Investigation hosted by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA), as well as on-going in-service training which includes:
- Case law review
- Officer safety
- Defensive tactics
- Firearms proficiency
- Building entry and search techniques, etc.
Drug investigations involve complex and unconventional approaches to law enforcement. Detectives are selected for their knowledge, skills, and abilities to “fit into” the drug cultures that exist in our communities. They develop investigative leads from various confidential and anonymous sources of information as well as from concerned citizens. They must be able to operate in dangerous environments and rapidly evolving situations outside the usual law enforcement arena. A strong knowledge of criminal case law pertaining to arrest, search and seizure, is required as well as a good bit of common sense and the ability to think on their feet.
Contact:
To report drug activity, speak to a Drug Task Force detective, or to obtain additional information, contact the Boulder County Drug Task Force at 303-441-1690, or email DrugTaskForceInfo@bouldercounty.gov.
