DEPARTMENTS WORK TOGETHER ON DRUG TASK FORCE

It's probably no surprise to metro area residents that city boundaries
don't mean a whole lot to drug dealers in the area.

"Narcotic cases are multi-jurisdictional," said La Vista Police Chief
Bob Lausten. "The bad guys don't know when they cross Harrison Street
or Giles Road."

Each city's department, however, does have its own city's boundary
lines and own jurisdiction to consider when pursuing narcotics
criminals. For that reason, in the late 1980s the Omaha Metropolitan
Drug Task Force was set up, Lausten said.

"The Omaha Metro Drug Task Force is a group of law enforcement
agencies, state, federal and local that come together for a common
purpose, which is narcotics enforcement," Lausten said.

The group includes officers from agencies across the metro and was
originally funded by federal grant money. Now, the grant money is
being weaned away and each agency is now committing their own
resources together to continue the work of the multi-jurisdictional
group. Lausten said the group allows a larger group of people to be
involved in investigations across the metro area.

"By having all those agencies working together," Lausten said, "you
can become a lot more productive."

Lausten added that the task force is focused on high-level narcotics
cases and the combined resources of the various departments allow the
group to do their job more effectively and efficiently.

La Vista's police department has one officer on the task force
permanently. Lausten said the position usually rotates to different
officers every three to five years.

"The Omaha Metro Drug Task Force has probably been one of the most
successful task forces in the United States," Lausten said. He added
that the task force has been a model of cooperation because of the way
individuals from the different agencies work together so well.

He also said that the task force's existence may explain to metro area
residents why they might see officers from neighboring communities
working and making busts in their own communities or vice versa.

"You could have an investigation that starts in Sarpy County that
takes you up to North Omaha or takes you across the border into
Council Bluffs," Lausten said.