UNDERCOVER NARCOTICS OFFICER DWELLS ON THE DARK SIDE

It's not that hard, Pat will say, working undercover, buying drugs
from bad guys, constantly lying about your life and what you do.

Besides, it's satisfying to put the bad guys away.

Pat is not the real name here. As an undercover drug cop, Pat must
remain anonymous, and he can't say much about last week's major drug
bust in Greeley.

That bust began with undercover buys more than two years ago,
according to Greeley police and agents from the FBI and the federal
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency. Sixteen suspects were arrested
last Tuesday in Greeley raids, but 46 have now been indicted for drug
and firearms violations.

Pat helped to start that big ball rolling, and the boss, Lt. Mark
Jones of the Drug Task Force, has high praise for his undercover
officers. "They did a phenomenal job in this case ... there were
100-page affidavits, undercover buys at all times of the day and
night. These cases alone took 18 months of our undercover officers' lives."

"After eight years undercover," Pat said, "I think it's safer than
being a street officer. In undercover, at least we know what we're
dealing with. If you are a street officer and you stop a car, you
don't know what you've got."

Pat likes the job, which is something you wouldn't expect in
undercover work. The officer hates the drugs; methamphetamine is
frightening because of its power to addict, marijuana is frustrating
because of how state medical marijuana laws conflict with federal law.

"Meth rips people apart," Pat said. "Rips families apart. We know we
can get some of the meth off the streets, but we can't stop it completely."

In the last drug bust, police and federal agents took more than
$500,000 worth of meth off the Greeley streets. It came from Mexico.

"I don't know when we had the last meth lab bust," Pat said. "Maybe
two years ago? They don't make it here anymore. They bring it in from Mexico."

In last week's bust, FBI Special Agent-In-Charge James Davis agreed,
saying sources in Mexico funneled the meth along a trade route that
possibly went through Greeley.

For Pat, the hours on the job are sometimes long. You don't usually
make drug buys during the daylight hours, and when they're working on
a major bust such as last week, the office hours are long also, due
to paperwork. "Working this case, I had four days off in two
months," Pat said.

Pat is married -- three boys and an understanding spouse. "Sometimes
it's hard, though, keeping in contact with the boys."

Jones said an undercover officer is never really off-duty when
working a case. "They get phone calls on their cell phones all the
time from dealers, and they have to maintain their undercover side.
Most people have no idea of the time commitment forced on an
undercover officer."

Pat grew up in northern Colorado and joined the Greeley Police
Department right out of college. Pat's been with the department for 13 years.

The undercover officer has learned a few things about the bad guys
while working on the Drug Task Force:

. Probably foremost is that the officer is not alone. Even when
making a buy or sitting in a drug dealer's house or car, Pat has
backup nearby. The officer has worn a "wire" before, but has never
been caught by the dealers.

. The undercover game is all a matter of acting. If you're a good
actor, you can convince the dealers that you're really a customer --
and not a cop.

. The dealer and other bad guys will almost always give information
in order to reduce the charges filed against themselves. "They'll
give each other up in a heartbeat," Pat said. "They'd give up their
mother in a heartbeat."

. As an undercover officer, you always have to be thinking ahead.
What will come next? What will the dealer ask? "You have to be
prepared to lie all the time," Pat said.

If federal agents can be brought in on a case, as was done in the
most recent bust, more funding, more resources and crime-fighting
equipment are available. "I can't adequately explain how important
connecting with the FBI was in this case," Pat said. "It was a
learning experience for me, and it made the case come together much better."

Over the years, Pat has bought meth, cocaine, marijuana and weapons
hundreds of times. "I like the chase," Pat said. "I like it when
everything comes together and you know you've got them."

But it's hard, seeing what kind of people are involved in the drug
trade in Greeley. Some of those involved are addicted and are trying
to find a way out. Those who are fighting their addictions have Pat's sympathy.

But some, like the dealers, seem to have no conscience.

Pat once made a buy from a dealer who insisted on meeting at a
well-known city park, where kids were playing games nearby while the
drugs were being purchased. "He brought his kids that day," Pat said
of the dealer. "They were about 6 and 9 years old, and he brought
them to a drug buy."

That dealer is in jail today.