Supervising and Managing the Drug Unit

Instructor: Jess Stennett

Duration: 3 days (20 professional development hours)

Cost: $475.00

Schedule: The training spans three days with extended hours. The first two days run from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time, while the final day concludes at noon, running from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Course Overview

This comprehensive leadership program is designed for both aspiring and experienced first-level and mid-level narcotics supervisors. Participants will develop essential knowledge and practical skills to effectively supervise narcotics officers, inspire their teams, and evaluate performance while navigating the distinctive demands of managing a proactive drug enforcement unit.

Key Training Topics

• Operational Planning: Supervisors will learn how to strategically plan safe operations including undercover drug purchases, surveillance activities, and raids, understanding their critical role in ensuring officer safety and operational success.
• Drug Trends: Participants receive updates on illicit substances, current and emerging drug trends in their jurisdictions, and officer safety concerns specific to clandestine laboratory operations. Discussion covers both local and national trends affecting their agencies.
• Case Development: Officers will master techniques for identifying drug intelligence sources, establishing team goals and standards, and implementing quality control procedures to maintain high-quality investigative work.
• Confidential Informant Management: This critical section addresses the dual nature of informants as both powerful tools and potential liabilities. Topics include managing informant motivations, maintaining healthy investigator-informant relationships, and establishing robust quality control for confidential informant programs.
• Leadership Development: Participants explore various leadership styles, identify approaches that align with their personalities, discuss strategies for motivating drug investigators, and examine the principles of servant leadership within a narcotics context.
• Team Building: Supervisors learn how to maximize team performance by identifying and leveraging the strengths of individual team members while addressing weaknesses to create a cohesive unit.
• Personnel Selection: When building a narcotics team, supervisors gain insight into effective recruitment strategies, appropriate interview questions for promotional boards, and how to identify the skills and personality traits essential for their specific unit needs.
• Problem Employee Management: This section emphasizes the importance of addressing performance issues directly, maintaining thorough documentation, and recognizing high-performing team members.
• Quality Control Standards: As unit leaders, supervisors learn to establish and enforce the highest standards across all aspects of their team's work, including operations, reports, and court presentations.
• Building Agency Value: Participants discover how drug units can contribute meaningfully to their communities and agencies while maintaining operational effectiveness, moving beyond the perception of exclusivity.

Real-World Application

Throughout the course, instructors analyze actual narcotics cases as detailed examples, allowing supervisors to see how the various topics and concepts apply to real-world situations they may encounter in their own operations.