Ask Officer Michelle – Question #143
Dear Officer Lazark,How does a landlord report suspected drug dealing by renters anonymously to the police authorities?
Thank you,
Joe K.
This is such a common problem. I get questions about this all the time. The best thing is to call our narcotics division and give them information about the narcotics activity. Let them know where this is happening, a physical description of the suspect(s), any vehicles including license plates, or any other pertinent information that may be useful for investigators. Additionally, there is a Problem Oriented Policing (POP) team that works in your area. You may want to let them know what is happening. This is a long-term problem. The way to the long-term solution is to work with our specialized units. The number for our narcotic tip line is 264-5796.
If the crime is in progress, you could call dispatch at 264-5471, and have a unit sent out right away. But as I said before, these are usually long term problems and require more investigation. You get more “bang for your buck” this way. You not only want to get the street dealer, you want to get the supplier and shut down the whole operation. I worked narcotics for many years. We investigated citizen complaints such as yours all the time and often times the callers were anonymous. It would be much more helpful to investigators if you gave your name and number just in case they have any follow up questions. The more they know the problems (dogs, kids, guns, type of drugs involved, time of day, etc), in your area, the better.
