Key West The Newspaper - November 30, 2001

What To Do If You See a Drug Deal Going Down

Special to KWTN From the KWPD

The eyes and ears of the Key West Police Department are vastly extended when concerned residents who see criminal activity going on in their neighborhoods report it immediately. Officers cannot be everywhere all the time. This kind of community support and cooperation can make a significant difference in neighborhood crime. Here are a few, simple tips on how to help police do their job better.

When a resident calls Key West police to report drug activity, for example, very specific information can enable the responding officer to directly approach the suspected offender or offenders quickly for on-the-spot investigation.

If a resident sees what looks like a drug transaction going on at the corner, calling police while the dealers are still in sight is ideal. Then police dispatchers can keep the caller on the line to prompt the caller to get such particulars as a detailed physical description to pass on to patrolling officers in the area: Sex. Race. Approximate height. Approximate weight. Hair (Color? Facial?).

A detailed clothing description is also helpful: Color and type of shirt (T-shirt? Plaid flannel? Hooded sweatshirt?). Color and type of pants (Blue jeans? Khaki? Shorts?). Hat (Watch cap? Knit? Leather? Baseball?). Gasses?

The observer should also tell the dispatcher if he sees exactly where the suspect is keeping the drugs. In his left shoe? Right front pants pocket?

Such ideal conditions do not always exist, however, when calling police. Often the observer cannot see the suspect or suspects clearly because of darkness of objects partially obscuring the view. Sometimes the suspect is gone before the observer can get to a telephone.

Key West Police Communications Supervisor Marsha Thurmann recommends providing a basic physical description, starting from top to bottom. Even so brief a description as the following is useful: "White male, blond hair, baseball cap, green t-shirt, jean shorts."

She added that callers often do no understand that if they suspect drug dealing at a specific house, police cannot just go knock on the door.

Usually police must set up surveillance to prove the ongoing activity, which can take weeks. Judges require considerable solid evidence, called probable cause, before signing a search warrant. The number of complaints received by police on a specific location contributes to probable cause, so residents should not hesitate to call in their complaints to the police to build that record.

Also helpful is information on drugs being brought into the city. Detectives need a vehicle description— make, model, year, color— and, if possible, a description of the occupants. Information on when it is expected to arrive and where is also vital.

Callers may leave their name or be anonymous when they call police. Key West police can provide a reward, the amount depending on the case, however, the tipster must be identified in those cases. Another venue is Crime Stoppers of the Keys. All Crime Stoppers callers may remain anonymous— each caller is assigned a code number. If the tip information leads to an arrest, the caller could get up to $1,000 cash.