The Special Investigations Division (SID) is a part of the Gainesville -Alachua County Drug Task Force (GACDTF). The GACDTF is a collaborative effort between the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the University of Florida Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The Drug Task Force targets illegal drug activity at three levels. The Drug Task Force investigates street-level drug crimes that occur throughout the City of Gainesville and Alachua County. Detectives assigned to the street-level Narcotics Squads identify and arrest subjects who are selling drugs in neighborhoods and affecting the quality of life for the residents in the area. Most enforcement of street-level drug crimes is done through undercover drug buys. The drug buys usually result in the arrest of the drug dealer and/or a search warrant being served on the location where the drug activity is occurring.
The Drug Task Force also has detectives assigned to state and federal drug task forces to increase the impact of local drug cases. The Drug Task force recently became part of the Federal HIDTA initiative (High intensity Drug Trafficking Area) and the Drug Task Force is receiving Federal funding to assist in the investigation of narcotic’s cases. The HIDTA Squad investigates mid-level suppliers of the street-level dealers. These mid-level dealers often extend beyond the City of Gainesville into surrounding cities and counties. The DEA Task Force investigates upper-level suppliers of drugs. Many of the upper-level drug investigations extend to other states and countries. Both task forces work toward significant State or Federal prison sentences for serious drug offenders. The investigations of mid- and upper-level suppliers often develop from street-level cases made by the Narcotics Unit when working community problems.