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Application for Funding Assistance Florida Department of Law Enforcement Justice Assistance Grant - County-wide General Project Information Project Title: MULTI-AGENCY CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT UNIT Project Sequence No: 1 Subgrant Recipient: Indian River County Board of Commissioners Implementing Agency: Indian River County Sheriffs Office Project Start Date: 10/ 1 /2007 End Date: 9/30/2008 Problem Identification Indian River County is located on the eastern seaboard of Florida and represents 543 square miles of total land mass. According to the Florida Research & Economic Database, the estimated population of Indian River County is 136, 736. During the tourist season the population increases to well over 168, 000 people. The western portion of the county is predominately agricultural and the east is bordered by 22 nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean . The undeveloped and isolated land areas to the west are ripe for the illegal cultivation of marijuana as well as clandestine methamphetamine production that is currently sweeping across the state of Florida . The available waterway routes for importation makes illicit activity attractive to the criminal element trafficking illegal narcotics into our communities. The law enforcement community of Indian River County estimates that over 50 percent of all crimes are attributed to drug abuse. Drug arrests for both sales and possession continue to increase throughout the entire county. Drug offenders are not constrained by any borders; they cross jurisdictional boundaries every day to buy, sell , and manufacture illegal drugs . In early 2007, the Multi-Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit (MACE) targeted upper level drug dealers working within Indian River County. This major sting operation and the arrests of 43 subjects (with four more arrest warrants being processed) enabled the MACE Unit to stop the flow of approximately 10 kilos of Crack and Powder Cocaine from entering Indian River County weekly. This one operation has put a huge dent in the available drugs in Indian River County. Although the MACE Unit will continue to bring in the street dealers and confiscate street level drugs, a renewed initiative to target upper level drugs dealers and the large quantities of drugs brought into Indian River County will continue into 2008 . Both types of operations are slated for the 2007-2008 budget year. Project Summary The Multi-Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit (M .A.C . E. ) is comprised of law enforcement officers from the Indian River County Sheriffs Office, the Vero Beach Police Department and the Sebastian Police Department. The M .A. C . E . Unit focus is two-fold , conduct investigations and gather intelligence that leads to the arrest and conviction of major drug suppliers , thus limiting the availability of illegal drugs to the street level dealers. Secondly, aggressively combat the street level distribution of drugs that deteriorate the quality of life for the citizens of Indian River County. Activities of the unit are overseen by a governing board that meets on a bi-monthly basis . The Board is comprised of the Sheriff and Undersheriff of Indian River County, the Application Ref # 2008-JAGC-642 Section #2 Page 1 of 2 Contract -JAGC-INRI- - -