Pubdate: Sat, 29 Jul 2000 Source: Plain Dealer, The (OH) Copyright: 2000 The Plain Dealer Contact: 1801 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114 Website: http://www.cleveland.com/news/ Forum: http://forums.cleveland.com/index.html Author: Karl Turner DRUG INTELLIGENCE UNIT OPENS IN BROOKLYN HTS. BROOKLYN HEIGHTS - The battle to dry up the area's illicit drug trade has a new focal point - Brooklyn Heights. The agency created to fight drug trafficking in northern Ohio broke ground on its Investigative Support Center yesterday in this village of about 1,700 people just south of Cleveland. U.S. Attorney Emily M. Sweeney, Cleveland FBI Special Agent in Charge Van A. Harp and several area police chiefs and officials attended the ceremony. The Ohio HIDTA - High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area - was established last year to reduce drug trafficking, related violent crimes and money laundering by coordinating the efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The Ohio HIDTA serves Cuyahoga, Lucas, Mahoning, Stark and Summit counties. The national HIDTA program was established by the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act and is run by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Ohio's HIDTA is the 31st in the nation. Ohio HIDTA Executive Director John B. Sommer said Brooklyn Heights was chosen because of its central location in the region and its accessibility to major roadways. "This center will be the headquarters for all of the various elements of the operation," said Sommer, former head of the Cleveland FBI Organized Crime Squad. "Perhaps most importantly it will house the Deconfliction Center, which will eliminate duplication of efforts between police and federal agencies who might be investigating the same suspect." Once the unit is operational, about 25 people will work at the Investigative Support Center collecting, analyzing and disseminating intelligence information. The 12,000-square-foot center will also house a training center, meeting rooms and executive offices. The center will be run by retired Cleveland police Lt. James Votypka, who worked in the department's Intelligence Unit. Ohio lawmakers and authorities had pushed for an Ohio HIDTA for some time. The effort to create it took on added meaning when the family of slain Cleveland police Detective Robert Clark II said it would be a fitting tribute to his memory. Clark was killed in the line of duty in 1998 while trying to capture a suspected drug dealer. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek