Midwest HIDTA Vision
The Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) is committed to enhancing and improving the effectiveness of drug law enforcement efforts designed to disrupt the market for illegal drugs throughout the “heartland” of America. Comprised of 73 designated counties in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Illinois, the Midwest HIDTA constitutes a complex and varied environment of urban core cities and suburban and rural areas each facing unique threats from home-grown and transnational drug trafficking organizations. The region encompasses a population of over 15 million people, thus making it one of the most populous of the 33 HIDTAs in the United States, as well as the most geographically expansive at 428,000 square miles. In addition, located within the region are more than 4,300 miles of interstate highways and an international border spanning 300 miles.
The goal of the Midwest HIDTA is to enhance and facilitate the coordination of regional drug-control efforts among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in order to reduce drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical markets in the region. The Midwest HIDTA strengthens drug control efforts by forging partnerships among local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies in facilitating information and intelligence sharing, cooperative investigations, and joint operations designed to reduce drug trafficking and drug availability. Moreover, the multi-agency HIDTA architecture is highly effective at functioning as a comprehensive and neutral coordination mechanism for law enforcement agencies across all jurisdictions.
The Midwest HIDTA currently supports 61 initiatives, including; 44 drug task forces, 6 domestic highway interdiction programs, 5 intelligence initiatives, 2 prevention initiatives, and 3 support initiatives. Such a balanced “partnership” approach requires the commitment of both personnel and resources by participating agencies with a shared philosophy of protecting the most vulnerable members of our states and communities from the harms of drug trafficking and abuse. By identifying, targeting and dismantling the most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations in the Midwest, HIDTA continues to incontrovertibly promote the safety and well-being of the citizens in the “heart” of America.