GEOGRAPHYS IMPACT ON THE SUCCESS OF FOCUSED LOCAL-DRUG ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS

This paper evaluates a natural experiment created by simultaneous atte mpts to eradicate street markets for illicit drugs in two areas of Har tford, Connecticut. The target markets were comparable in size and nat ure except for some geographic factors, and the interventions were nea rly identical. Nevertheless, the outcomes were strikingly different, s uggesting that geographic factors may influence the success of local d rug enforcement operations. This paper reviews Hartford's experience a nd examines some data that seem to support this hypothesis.