"Drugs and Public Housing: Toward a More Effective Police Response,” in Doris
MacKenzie and Craig Uchida (eds.), Drugs and Crime. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Publications, 1994, 129-148.
This chapter reviews “lessons learned” with regard to drug problems and drug enforcement in public
housing. It draws upon past research and the authors’ fieldwork in Denver and New Orleans.
MacKenzie and Craig Uchida (eds.), Drugs and Crime. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Publications, 1994, 129-148.
This chapter reviews “lessons learned” with regard to drug problems and drug enforcement in public
housing. It draws upon past research and the authors’ fieldwork in Denver and New Orleans.
“Drug Enforcement in Public Housing,” in Robert C. Davis, Arthur Lurigio, and Dennis
Rosenbaum (ed.) Drugs and the Community: Involving Community Residents in
Combating the Sale of Illegal Drugs. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1993, 162-174.
This chapter describes two police programs that tackled drug problems in public housing. The programs
were fielded in housing developments in Denver and New Orleans, by special Narcotics Enforcement in
Public Housing Units (NEPHUs) that were supported by grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. In both
cities it was apparent that police were not devoting sufficient attention to drug sale and use in public housing,
and that they were not working in cooperation with the management of those developments or helping
residents deal with their problems. This chapter first describes some of the difficulties involved in drug
enforcement in the special kinds of "neighborhoods" created by larger public housing projects. Then it
describes the new NEPHU units, their tactical plans , and the difficulties they encountered in working with the
communities and local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to deal with drug problems.
Rosenbaum (ed.) Drugs and the Community: Involving Community Residents in
Combating the Sale of Illegal Drugs. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1993, 162-174.
This chapter describes two police programs that tackled drug problems in public housing. The programs
were fielded in housing developments in Denver and New Orleans, by special Narcotics Enforcement in
Public Housing Units (NEPHUs) that were supported by grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. In both
cities it was apparent that police were not devoting sufficient attention to drug sale and use in public housing,
and that they were not working in cooperation with the management of those developments or helping
residents deal with their problems. This chapter first describes some of the difficulties involved in drug
enforcement in the special kinds of "neighborhoods" created by larger public housing projects. Then it
describes the new NEPHU units, their tactical plans , and the difficulties they encountered in working with the
communities and local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to deal with drug problems.
Drug Enforcement in Public Housing. Washington, DC: Police Foundation,1993.
The Narcotics Enforcement in Public Housing Unit (NEPHU) was established in Denver, Colorado, with the
support of a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It was enforcement-oriented and employed
traditional policing methods, but focused new energy and resources on a problem that otherwise was not
being squarely addressed. Before the formation of its special housing unit, narcotics enforcement in public
housing was the responsibility of Denver's two regular drug units’ in addition, each police district had a
tactical squad that could be called in to deal with specific situations. As in many cities, however, uninformed
police and officers on narcotics assignments preferred to avoid working on public housing areas. Public
housing residents were an object of scorn in the eyes of many officers. In addition, because public housing
residents normally occupy the largest rung on the drug distribution ladder and infrequently deal in large
quantities of drugs, the seizures of money and drugs in public housing rarely equal, in magnitude, the
seizures of other narcotics units. Impressive seizure totals are the measure of worth of many narcotics units;
they also provide the means by which many police departments finance continuing narcotics operations.
Aggressive units thus tend to look outside public housing developments for action. NEPHU was formed to
lodge responsibility for public housing enforcement in the hands of a special unit, thus signaling recognition
of the importance of drug problems in public housing.
The Narcotics Enforcement in Public Housing Unit (NEPHU) was established in Denver, Colorado, with the
support of a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It was enforcement-oriented and employed
traditional policing methods, but focused new energy and resources on a problem that otherwise was not
being squarely addressed. Before the formation of its special housing unit, narcotics enforcement in public
housing was the responsibility of Denver's two regular drug units’ in addition, each police district had a
tactical squad that could be called in to deal with specific situations. As in many cities, however, uninformed
police and officers on narcotics assignments preferred to avoid working on public housing areas. Public
housing residents were an object of scorn in the eyes of many officers. In addition, because public housing
residents normally occupy the largest rung on the drug distribution ladder and infrequently deal in large
quantities of drugs, the seizures of money and drugs in public housing rarely equal, in magnitude, the
seizures of other narcotics units. Impressive seizure totals are the measure of worth of many narcotics units;
they also provide the means by which many police departments finance continuing narcotics operations.
Aggressive units thus tend to look outside public housing developments for action. NEPHU was formed to
lodge responsibility for public housing enforcement in the hands of a special unit, thus signaling recognition
of the importance of drug problems in public housing.
Policing Abstracts
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