Undercover police lead fight against drugs

Controlled drug purchases by the Bloomington Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit led to 140 arrests and the seizure of $158,000 last year. The Special Investigations Unit, which purchases narcotics in order to build cases against Bloomington drug dealers, is a major part of local drug interdiction efforts.

Two weeks ago, the unit obtained the evidence necessary to arrest 38-year-old Shawn McCullough in connection with numerous drug-related offenses, including the possession of $12,000 worth of cocaine.

The preliminary charges include possession of cocaine and heroin with the intent to deal and three counts of dealing heroin. McCullough is facing two Class-A felonies, three Class-B felonies and two Class-A misdemeanors.

“Class-A felonies warrant 20 to 50 years in prison, while Class-B felonies span six to 20 years,” said Joe Lozano of the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office. Lozano prosecutes the majority of drug-related offenses in the county.

The undercover unit purchased heroin from McCullough on three separate occasions in an effort to build a case against the Michigan man who had resided in Bloomington for only three weeks.

Heroin has made a comeback recently, said BPD Lt. David Drake, adding that it’s responsible for most of Bloomington’s overdose deaths.

The Special Investigations Unit handles proactive cases initiated by the department.
“Typically they do two to three drug buys per day,” Drake said.

The unit currently comprises one sergeant and four detectives. Until 2009, Drake was in charge of the unit.

Joe Qualters, captain of Detective Division, insists that the unit’s officers traditionally do not conduct the buys but manage them by relying on confidential informants. Because of Bloomington’s small size, it would be difficult to disguise officers as drug purchasers.

“We do not compel anyone to work for us,” Qualters said.

Although some informants might have a criminal past, many are average residents who work with the police because they are concerned about drug activity in their community.

The unit keeps an eye on informants throughout the entire process.

“We watch them from point A to B and make sure they hand over all of the drugs purchased at the debrief,” Qualters said.

Informants and their cars are completely searched to prevent them from “pinching,” or keeping, any contraband.

There are numerous reasons why the department makes multiple purchases from drug dealers before making an arrest.

One reason officers do numerous buys is to grasp a drug dealer’s level of involvement.
“If you do just one buy, the individual may claim entrapment,” Lozano said.

Entrapment is the term used when law enforcement officials persuade individuals to commit illegal acts they would not do otherwise.

“The defense suggests that the offender was encouraged by police to do it,” Lozano said.

Another reason for law enforcement agencies to conduct multiple buys is to combat sympathetic juries.

“We do not want the jury to be presented with a scenario painted by defense attorneys,” Qualters said.

Defense attorneys might suggest that a one-time sale of a drug is not indicative of the defendant’s character.

“The defense will often portray the drug dealer as someone supporting their own habit,” Qualters said. “Sympathetic juries often buy into that.”

BPD officers work hard to increase the chances that criminal offenders will be found guilty.

Although it takes time to build a case, McCullough was arrested while living in Bloomington for less than a month.

“We want to wrap them up in as much criminal activity as we can,” Qualters said.