Hidta

[pjb6282]

Does anyone know about HIDTA? Is it just as tough to get into HIDTA as any other federal agency? They are hiring for a criminal investigator in my city and I was wondering what a criminal investigator does for HIDTA (they did not give a good description of what they do).

Thanks

[Switchback]

HIDTA is nt an agency. It's a program/initiative. Many agencies participate/contribute to it. While it is a federal program, my experience is that most of the legwork is done by locals and contract intelligence analysis. You can be an loal officer, non-sworn contract employee, or a federal agect and be assigned to it.

It's my understanding that HIDTA is on "shakey ground" right now anyways. Who knows how things will go in the near future.

[Bearcat06]

The HIDTA here in the Midwest is more like a task force of Local/State/Feds working on drugs. They sponsor training and investigate drug stuff. I have never seen any of them out in the field around here. Most of their stuff is doing the intel thing from a cubicle.

[K-9MALY]

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you guys are talking about. What does the acroynm stand for? :confused:

[Switchback]

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

[K-9MALY]

10-4 Thanks.
I have worked in those areas without knowing the fancy name for it!

[cecilVA]

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

AKA Keith Richard's House

[chewy]

I'm sorry, but I don't know what you guys are talking about. What does the acroynm stand for?

:eek: :confused: WHAT?? How long have you been with Customs, and you've never heard of HIDTA? Boy, I knew the southern border was "back woods" but I didn't know it was THAT bad!

[K-9MALY]

Well, why didn't they just say the southern border if that's what they mean!

[chewy]

Well, why didn't they just say the southern border if that's what they mean!

It's not only the southern border. They are joint task forces with extra funding specifically for interdicting and investigating drug trafficing. there are several areas around the U.S. ( go here for the govn'ts HIDTA webpage). Read up on it mister, you may need to work with them someday!

[K-9MALY]

I was just joshing about the southern border. You don't need a task force for most places down there, it comes to you every single day. You just have to be good at Spanish, detecting false compartments, and b.s. stories.

[Group9]

Mainly, it just a regular federal task force that is funded through the HIDTA program that comes through ONDCP. I supervise one that has 3 DEA agents, 1 ICE agent, 2 state police, 2 deputy sheriffs, 3 city police officers, and one intelligence analyst from a sheriff's department. The state and local guys are deputized as federal agents.

We have a non-HIDTA funded federal task force in the same office with roughly the same makeup that does pretty much the same stuff. Both groups back each other up on investigations.

HIDTA is just a funding program, although at times they act like they are a law enforcement agency. As Switchback mentioned, there is a proposal in the 2006 budget to cut their funds by 45 per cent and transfer control of them from ONDCP to OCDETF under main Justice. Who knows how it will shake out.

There is also little consistency in how the HIDTA's are run across the country so what is true in one area may not be true in another area. It is just another pot of money to dip into.

We do a lot of different type cases in our HIDTA. We do a lot of wiretaps and cases involving large criminal organizations with ties to out of state or foreign sources of supply, and we do smaller local violators as well. We also run with and support the highway interdiction program here and do a ton of meth labs.

Tonight, they are out doing a six ounce meth buy bust, but we have had a long week already and I was too whipped to go out with them.

[pjb6282]

So does working for HIDTA require previous l.e. work experience? or can a person that just graduated with a masters degree in cj get into the organization? The advertisement for the position did not have many requirements or did not say much about the job. I saw the ad and did not know what HIDTA meant either.

[Switchback]

The only way you can find out is to put in for it (the Intel Analysis position, I assume).

The officer/agent jobs are filled by the specific departments/agencies by their own personnel. Remember, HIDTA is NOT and agency. Rather, it is a task force that often functions more as a resource for the agencies/departments in a given area, providing support (most often in the terms of intelligence).

[Swat1]

If they are advertising for a criminal investigator position it is probably a financial investigator. I was on a HIDTA TF for a couple of years and all of the criminal investigators were supplied by the member agencies. We had one investigator hired purely with HIDTA funds who did financial investigations for asset forfeiture. We would work the cases and supply him with the information regarding assets etc. He would then subpoena deed/trust information and using our search warrant affidavits, indictments, etc would write an affidavit for asset forfeiture and follow up with the AF process.

It was really nice having someone to do that cause prior to him being hired we had to do it all.

Swat1*