We live in a day in age where war on drugs has been a major epidemic for the past couple of years. The war on drugs started way back in the 1970s where people of all ages and all races were taking so many different kinds of drugs including crack. When crack was first developed most police departments didn’t have special training for certain types of drugs to know what it looked like and or what are the signs to look for or even knowing how to make crack. Polices officers needed to know how to make crack in order to understand what they are looking at. If a regular person who has never seen crack before they would think it would be flour, sugar, salt, and or some kind of powder. Police officers need to know what ingredients to look for in case they catch someone in the process of making crack or catching the suspect or a group of people selling crack. Drug investigators especially need to know what to look for and how to make it. Drug investigators deal with people who sell crack and all different kinds of drugs every single day. For example if a suspect or a group of people sell crack and there’s a raid that occurs and the investigators don’t know what to look for how can the drug investigator put someone in prison for selling or making the drug. They could be putting the case in jeopardy of possibly losing a case or letting the suspect get off scot free because they did not have the proper training to know what they were searching for. Police officers are using manufactured crack in “reverse stings” operations in which police officers pretend to be drug dealers in order to catch people or certain groups that purchase drugs from the undercover police officer. The displays of drugs by undercover police officers is a common tactic in reverse stings. Reverse stings basically use the same drugs that were taken from raids. Which is normally the case for most raids that they use another suspects drugs from another to try to catch another suspect. The knowledge of knowing how to make crack my not be understood to most but what i got from this is that the use of knowing how to make crack is for undercover work and for investigators to know the ingredients that goes into making this and watch what is bought in what store. Batman.003
The prosecution of illegal drugs users and suppliers has been one of the primary factors in the enormous growth of the American correctional industry. Of course because many drugs are illegal, anybody who sells, uses, or in any way promotes any of these drugs, under most circumstances, breaking the law. The drug crime relationship goes well beyond the language of criminal dug statues however. Drugs are addictive it can ruin a family, a job, a life. I agree that drugs have very negative side effects, but are the solution to fight a very costly and ineffective battle to eradicate drugs entirely? Is it even a possibility? I’m not sure, we all know that the war on drugs has likely caused much more harm than good. Another major problem with our current situation is money. Not only it is expensive to prosecute drug offenders, it is expensive to detain then. Currently, more money is being put into building prisons than into building schools. If all this time and money is being spent on education, and prevention, and treatment, and the numbers continued rise, then an alternative must be sought. Addiction is like a disease but it viewed as treatable disease. Neither the drug user, nor drug supplier is responsible drug addiction. The disease concept calls for a drug policy that focuses on drug treatment and rehabilitation. since drugs are addictive most of people are trying their own means to make their own cheap drug to use. It is very important for the police to know how to make this crack because a lot of time when they come across the suspect with any substances for example the things we just saw on the the video to make crack, immediately the police will know that such person is involved in making crack. there are so many substances look like crack but if you know what is made up of, you will not have no doubts what crack is. on my opinion this is the reason why police should know. GUSII 003
After reading your response, I realized there were some topics I wished I had hit on in mine that you did very well in yours. One of those would be about the mass incarceration epidemic the U.S. has been struggling with for years now. The problem with this epidemic is that typically we arrest many low-end offenders and users and don't offer them much as far as rehabilitation options. If we would focus more on those who are producing these volatile drugs as well as shifting a bit more focus onto the users having rehabilitation freely available to them, I believe we would make a very large impact on the incarceration epidemic. GMan003
I found this video somewhat entertaining to watch, being as it is obviously just a “meme” of sorts (i.e. a joke). What I do not like about this video is that the director of the video (seemingly a young teen) is aware of what crack looks like, seems to know how to make a counterfeit drug, and also thinks this was a good idea to post on the internet. Although I am not here to judge, it makes me wonder what kind of environment he lives in to think any of this was a good idea, let alone how he was exposed to such a thing. In my personal opinion, I see only one benefit of anyone having legitimate knowledge on the production process of crack (more specifically the ingredients used and at least a basic concept of how the process works), and that would be those in law enforcement agencies who work these sorts of cases/pursue drug users/dealers/producers. The reason I could see this being useful to those in law enforcement goes along with the story that was shared with us during lecture- a street crack cook was flipped into an “informant” of a different variety- he had to put on a “presentation” for the storyteller's officers to show them how he cooked crack. The reason he had the man do this was so that his officers knew what crack smells like, what ingredients went in it, how the process worked, as well as how dangerous it can be. The presentation put on by the “informant” also provided the officers with new knowledge as to how these cooks can conceal their products and ingredients. All in all, the only people who should have this sort of knowledge and could legitimately benefit from it are those who are pursuing criminals involved with crack. Something else that was shared during lecture was that crack has an extremely acidic sort of smell to it- if someone who recognizes and is familiar with it, they will have a sort of tingling/burning sensation in their nose, which is easily identifiable as crack. This was another useful portion of the presentation those officers were able to use for future work. There are no recognized medicinal values of crack and destroys more lives than it will ever help (if any). As future workers of law enforcement agencies across the United States, we will be on the front lines of the war on the various drug epidemics, so we need to have this knowledge and awareness to do our jobs effectively. GMan003
I agree with what you are saying that the only reason law enforcement should know how to make crack or would know how to make the ingredients is for only investigations but what they don’t say is when detectives go undercover they may have a case where they betray a drug dealer or drug maker. Knowing how to make crack may save their case or more importantly lives. On the other hand there are some cops may take advantage of this and use this knowledge to make extra money on the side. In some cases they go to deep undercover and this creates a problem. Batman003
This video was interesting as it offered some shallow insight on how to create crack which is a form of drug. This video seemed to be lacking a lot of information on the subject, however, the idea of creating crack quickly and fairly cheaply could be appealing to some individuals. The ingredients for such a concoction are fairly common house hold products or at least that is what was suggested within the video. Through this video, it displayed that there is no age requirement to be able to create crack; anyone with any background can. With this quickness, cheap ingredients, and common products creating crack is less of a strain for and individual or a group of people. Making crack the ideal drug to create and possible sell. However, policing this drug difficult; since there is abundant opportunities to create and sell this produce. More often than not, some police officers are unaware of how to create crack. Which then makes them at large unaware of the ingredients or the items to create the drug. Some officers are going into a crime scene ignorant of the crack and the crack operation. In this situation, the crack users and creators have the upper hand over the officer’s ignorance. With this lack of knowledge, the situation can lead into a dangerous territory for the officer due to their unawareness and unfamilliarness of this form of drug. That is the last quality we as a community want in our officers. The drug world is changing so quickly, making an environment treacherous for the officers to learn the abundant amount of changing information on drugs and how they are made and consumed by an individual or a group. It really is hard information to keep up on as it changes over the years. One drug may be more popular one year over another due to the generation or economics at the time. The officers must stay up to date on the drugs at the time, even though it is highly challenging. But it is for their benefit and it benefits the community also. I think it would greatly benefit the officers to know the process of creating crack and other forms of drugs so they know what to look for when entering a crime scene. Though the officers would be more rounded and diverse in how they process a crime scene. More drug knowledge can go a long way for officers. -CoalRoller003
I definitely agree with you about the video being interesting and it not having a lot of information on crack. I did not think about it that way, about the ingredients being common house hold items. Which means it's easier for kids to get to because its just laying around the house and it's easy access. I also agree with the fact that you said there is no age requirement to be able to make crack. In this video the boy seems young and he's making this video which proves he has some knowledge on the subject and may also be around it. -brooklyn003
The use of drugs have been a big issue in the world today. Now a days many people make different kinds of drugs with many things that should not be used. This video is interesting but yet funny to watch. In this video this boy creates some sort of crack with brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, water and laundry detergent. This would help police officers because in order to catch people who sell and/or makes this stuff they should know how its made or what it looks like. This video shows both of those things. For example if and officer caught a suspect with a bag of a whitish, powdery substance they may think its salt, sugar, flour or any type of a powder substance. Then that suspect would get away and still continue to commit the crime around their community. Also if an officer needs to compare something to another he could make it and see if looks like the end result of what he's trying to figure out. Also this video would help investigators because if they are trying to figure out what a substance is they can figure out whats all in that one substance and then they would know that if the substance had things in it like sugar, water and baking soda that the person had crack on them. This video is also sad because the boy in it seems young. This shows that the war on drugs is not only towards older people, its towards kids too. It makes me wonder what his environment is like for him to know what crack is and for him to try and “make” it. Kids at this young age should not be think about making a youtube video on “How to Make Crack”. It also shows him “snorting” the crack he made at the end. The reason why I put snorting in quotes is because it does not show him actually doing it but it emplies it. Him doing that also shows that he must be around someone doing that stuff if he knows that, that's what you do with it after he already made it. Overall this video being made would help officers and investigators figure out what type of drug is being made and sold around. They would also know that it's not just sugar, salt, flour or any powder substance and thats its crack. Also this video shows how little kids can be and they are put around drugs and stuff like that and that needs to change. -brooklyn003
The video was interesting as it offered some interesting insight on how to create crack from common household ingredients. The video did lack a lot of information on the crack itself and the idea of creating crack quickly and fairly cheaply could be appealing to some individuals. The ingredients were common household products. Through this video, it displayed that anyone create crack. With this quickness, cheap ingredients, and common products creating crack is less of a strain for and individual or a group of people. The reason I could see this video being useful to those in law enforcement is because along with the story that was shared with us during class. An individual who is cooking crack can was flipped into an informant. The cook had to speak for a group of officers to show them how he cooked crack. The reason he had the man do this was so that his officers knew what crack smells like, what ingredients went in it, how the process worked. This even showed them how dangerous this drug can be to cook. We learned in lecture that it is sometimes common for these cooks to mess up and actually blow up their “labs”. The talk that this informant put on provided the officers with knowledge that they did not know beforehand as to how these cooks can conceal their products and ingredients. Having more agencies get these sorts of talks can only help them. Knowing what to look for is very important for when it comes to policing. Even knowing the process of how to cook if crucial because it shows officers what kind of ingredients to look out for if they were to come across them when making a stop or searches. The video all in all was interesting to watch because it showed that even common items that can be bought at the store can be used to make the horrible drug that is crack. -CUBSFAN003
One of the biggest issues we have in today’s society is the war on drugs. Many people have learned how to make drugs and they make it in big consumptions and then are able to sell it on the streets and make profit off of it. People are then able to make a living off of it and be able to survive and make sure there is food on the table for their family. This is helpful for the cops because if a cop is going through a house for a warrant and they see these specific ingredients. Especially if the ingredients are in bulk and they are next to each other, the cops can assume that they are making crack and can charge them with the correct crime. Officers also have the ability to look at people’s card charges or even go the a specific grocery store and look at the cameras to see the different products they are buying. This can be another way that they prove they are making crack. Knowing the ingredients can also help people know what they are ingesting into their bodies when they are smoking crack or snorting it. Ingesting those types of chemicals that are equivalent to cleaning supplies is very dangerous. It breaks down your internal organs and cartilage. It also affects your brain and damages it over time. This then affects your mental health and you will eventually go crazy. Your body becomes reliant on the drug and if you do not ingest it enough your body goes through withdrawals. Another reason why it is necessary to know, so if you come across the drug you are able to identify what is in the bag. You’ll be able to identify it by knowing the different ingredients that is in the drug. The immigration rate in America is going up because of the making of crack. Many people are learning how to make it and then go and sell it out on the streets. Many people are also able to work together to create the drug and many more. The more people they have helping, the more people they know to sell too in order to make money and a living off of the drugs they are selling. Officers that know the specifics in the drugs and are able to clearly identify it, is very helpful and useful in the wrong run. This is not only good for their department but also other surrounding departments as well. #notaplumber003
When I first opened this video, and began watching I was like, how am I going to be able to write blog worth 400 words on this 3 minute video of a kid messing with people. But after some thought I finally figured out a reason on why I think Dr White showed us this video. I think for one it's to show how relevant crack is in America's communities. The kid filming this video seems like he is relatively young and the fact the he kind of has an idea on how to make something look sort of like crack is saying something about his life, and the things he has had to grow up around. When I was that kids age I barely knew the difference between weed, and marijuana. But that just shows us how kids of younger ages are growing up, and how relevant drugs in societies. I also think this video kind of shows the representation of the people making a drug like this. Obviously this video was trying to be funny, and the kid was acting, but I think it is a good representation. Usually we see drug dealers, and people who make the drugs as people who are trying to make some quick and easy cash, that are not very intelligent. Don't get me wrong there are people out there who deal drugs that are very intelligent, and very good at what they do. But we often hear about the crack makers blowing up their labs, and dying, or getting busted in an mobile crack making lab. I think we typically see these drugs prevalent in the low income communities. These kids see their parents doing drugs, so they are going to start doing drugs because that is what they grew up around, and that is the only thing that they know. So obviously these kids are going to follow by the example that their parents gave them, because obviously the kids think that if their parents do drugs, then that is what must be right. It's actually sad that some kids have to grow up like that, and go through lifestyle like that. Then these kids will go from users, to dealers, to suppliers, the list can go on and on. No kid should every have to live a life like that, but that is the harsh reality of some American Communities. I-Like-Cereal003
The War on Drugs is still problem today. Many people are incarcerated for drug use or drug distribution. I think police officers should know how to cook so that they know what to look for if they’re in a situation that might revolve around potential drug use. If they go to search a house, they have to know what to look for or have some idea because if they don't know what they’re looking for, they could walk right past it and not look back.These different drugs are costing people their lives and I know that everyone makes their own choices but we have to try and save the people. No one knows everyone's story and why they do the things that they do. Police officers need to be trained on what type of equipment to look for and what ingredients are used in different drugs. Some things might be easy to spot like a meth lab but other things might not be so easy.There might be some police officers that don’t know what they’re looking for because they might not of been trained on what to look for. Drugs is still a big problem and I think every police officer should have some sort of training on this type of situation because drugs are very common now. When I was watching this video, it surprised me on how young the person in the video looked. He looked like he could be sixteen or seventeen. When I see teenagers using drugs, it make me sad. They’re young and having a drug problem at a young age can potentially affect the rest of their life. The way they’re getting the drugs can be very dangerous too. The drugs that they’re getting could be laced with something and could possible kill them. If they’re getting drugs from a drug dealer, that can also be a very dangerous situation. I’ve seen stories where drug deals have gone wrong and people either got injured or killed. If teenagers get caught with drugs and it goes on their record, it could affect their life later on and they could potentially be stereotyped. This shouldn't be a life for a teenager. They should not be in constant danger and doing things that can potentially kill them or harm them. I feel like this could also lead to gang activity. There are some gangs that are involved in drugs and gang activity can be very dangerous as well. -Soccer003
The video shows a kid in his teens jokingly making crack with sugar, laundry detergent, and some other household ingredients. When the video started playing I was confused and thought I accidentally clicked something and was watching the wrong video, but I suppose not. I watched the video twice trying to figure out what I could say about it and through watching it, I realized how it is actually kind of sad that kids have a pretty good understanding of drugs, how they are made, and how to use them. With that, there is a problem. How are children being exposed to drugs? Is it through social media, television, relatives, or peers? It is sad and scary to think that kids have access to drugs such as crack and that some are abusing those drugs. While the video was a joke and somewhat entertaining, drug use is serious. Drugs can seriously ruin lives and tear families apart. Teenagers should definitely think about the consequences before using drugs, but that also means we need better drug prevention programs. -Smokeybear003
I feel like children and teenagers that know a lot about drugs, were exposed to it very young from family members or someone that was in their life a lot. They could of had a rough childhood and that could of influenced them to use drugs. There could also be peer pressure. If one of their friends is using drugs, they might feel pressured to go along and try it and then they can become addicted. I feel like drug prevention programs can only do so much. I went through DARE in middle school and I thought it was good but I think the people found out that it didn't really do much. They didn't receive the results that they wanted.-Soccer003
When the video first began, I had to click back out. I thought this has to be the wrong video. Seeing the laundry detergent I assumed maybe this is something use to break the crack down. But as I continued to watch and realize this is a child who is mimicking something he has seen a family member do or on television. It was also disturbing to see another child present. My question is where were the parents. And why would a child know the steps of cooking crack. Though he was obviously using the incorrect product he still could have harmed himself by ingesting these chemicals. I feel this video is beneficial to officers to see the harmful affects that crack is having on the community and the need to not only educate but also crack down on drugs. This video should also be shown in schools to teach children to stay away from drugs and friends who do things like this young man in the video. It is just crazy that a child though wrong in many ingredients some were correct. The baking soda and baking was true. Some people assume that kids these days have more knowledge on the newer drugs like molly and zans but crack is still relevant. Watching things like this is the reason I feel the D.A.R.E program was beneficial in schools. Jadist003
When I first used the link to watch the video, I thought maybe we were given the wrong link to our assignment. Upon further watching of the video, I realize it truly was the video we were suppose to watch. Crack is a very addictive and dangerous drug to be using. Many people across the united states have been struggling with this addiction. Crack has ruined many lives and can be seen in several different forms. In the video provided to the class, it looked to be a teenager who was jokingly showing people how to make crack. Now on the surface of this video it looks to be a funny video he was making and was not truly an informational video on how to cook crack. But looking at it on another level, it saddens me. This teenager had to of seen somewhere how to make crack or have been exposed to it in some capacity to even know a little bit about how to make this drug. He was showing it step by step on the process of creating crack. I feel that real informative videos on how crack is actually made may help investigators and patrol officers stop drugs from being formed and dealed to people on the streets. A story was shared with us in class about how cops were given a presentation from a manufacturer of crack on the process and ingredients going into the drug. I feel like this is very important in some aspect. In order to put a stop to the this growing narcotic problem, a person must first be able to identify the signs of drug production/use. Knowing how to identify the key characteristics will dramatically increase the chance of putting a stop to the problem. In the story shared, these officers were previously stepping over drug paraphernalia in drug raids and busts. Most people would think that officers are very well informed of drugs and their many forms, but sadly not all departments have the budget to teach narcotics classes. If the officers have not been exposed to the aspects that come along with drugs, they are not equipped with the tools to crack down of drugs. This video, though obviously a joke, may be an important way in stopping the drug epidemic. -AS003
It is crazy how easy it is for someone to make crack or any other drugs. These items can be bought by anyone at almost every store. These drugs ruin many lives because these so called chemist are making drugs out of random items that should not be put together. Officers really need this training, they could be passing up many items that they might seem harmless. If they have the training they will be able to bag many items that are used to make drugs making a better case against the offender. -ClarkKent003
Cooking That was an very interesting video. This video shows the way how to make crack. Crack is a drug. The fact that it is cheap and easy to make shows why they like making it. Because it is so easy to make, makes it an easy profitable substance. Crack is also a very difficult substance to police. Crack is a white powerdy substance that is very little crystals. This substance is very easy to spill while making. Sugar is used in making crack. The screen just went blank. Ster it and put it in the sink so if it spills it’s an easy cleanup. Pour hot water into the container. Put the container in the oven and cook it at 800 degrees. After the oven, pour some baking soda and mix it with the sugar. Shake the container real good. Stir it as much as possible. It should look chunky.-chicubs003
This video was actually very informative even though the video was a joke. This video shows how easy it is for someone of any age and race to make drugs. These items are found at almost every store and can be bought by nearly everyone. These are also cheap items that can be bought in a mass quantity. Many people are getting hurt by these “chemists” because they are putting random chemicals and items to make drugs. This video was fun to watch but Police Officers really should know how to make the drugs that they are fighting. How can they put people away when they don’t even know what they are looking for. The Drug epidemic is at a all-time high right now in our country. There are thousands of people using and making drugs. We are locking up so many people that use drugs instead of the people making it. This could be because that Officers do not have the training or knowledge to identify the tools that people using to make the drugs. Another reason to why Officers should learn how to make the drugs is to obtain more evidence against the offender. A officer who does not have the knowledge of what is used to make the drugs might walk pass evidence that can put the offender away for a long time. It would be easy for an officer to walk past lighter fluid or baking soda because they are items that seem to be harmless. But these items can be used to make the drugs that they are locking up people for. Other items that an officer might pass up are batteries, scales, foil, etc. If this officer has the training they will be able to bag and tag many items that can build a case against the offender. Law enforcement agencies need to put money and resources into training officers to know how to make drugs. -ClarkKent003
I do like how you covered that an officer should be trained on how drugs are made to bring more evidence on an offender. I also believe that can be used to help further investigations or even a police officer's knowledge on drugs. Another big thing that you brought up that i liked is that these ingredients can be easily missed during the investigation. With the proper knowledge an officer like you said should be able to identify and put the evidence in the right type of holding to be processed later. -Mr.Wadewilson003
I am not really sure on what I even think about this video. It was kind of funny and did not have a whole lot of information about how it is really made. I think the main idea of being shown this video was to maybe show us how easy the concept of making crack can be. On how easy it can be made in just a matter of minutes and how it can be made with a lot of things that can be just laying around your house around any given time such as the gain detergent and the baking soda and hot water. I am not experienced at all on crack so I really can not tell you if that was a legit video on how to make it or not. If you can use those easy and pretty cheap materials then that would explain why it is such a problem here in this country. If all you have to do is mix these cheap things around and make a bunch of money by doing it, there is going to be plenty of people in line to do it. This video also surprised me a little bit when i thought that there was a man on the other side of the camera and he turned it around and there was a 12 year old boy sitting there trying to teach me how to make crack, and then right in front of his little sister at that. What makes kids want to make a video like this? It makes me wonder maybe what these kids are around and what they are seeing around the house or in the neighborhoods that they are living in. When I was that age I do not even think that i had ever even heard of crack as a drug, let alone thinking about making a whole video on how to make crack and putting it on the internet for people to see me trying to snort it. It is actually pretty sad to see something like this. This would be an important video for an officer to see so that they can see how easy it really is to make crack, if this is an accurate video. They can see that they use just everyday house items and ingredients so that hopefully when they can see all of these ingredients together they can hopefully pick up on what is going on and see that they are making crack or something else like that. -Steel003
The video gave me the same feeling at the first part of it. Like anyone and everyone says you can get cancer from anything and everything. The household you live in has many different items that can make many different types of drugs. The video makes you think on how many households this could be happening at on a daily bases. The worst part of it all is that chemical reactions are very known to have bad responses when played with. A 12 year old boy would have no clue or knowledge about that type of burn on his skin and what to do when it happens. Now its a very different situation when adults are doing it but still some wont know how deal with or even know its possible. When someone has a need for a drug so bad to use household items there is nothing that will stop them. DirtTrack003
At first I didn’t think that i was watching the right video but, then I figured out what was going on with the video. The video really did catch me off guard with a minor making a “type of drug” or knowing how to even make it is kind of mind blowing in many ways. This situation happens more then anyone ever wants to know. Children have gotten very creative with making and trying new drugs over the time. The guess and check game is always played when experimenting with new drugs. The blog is about how to cook, cooking is a task to survive when you get down to the core of it. Cooking is a mature and a need to do and have when living and growing up as a adult. Cooking has to be done to feed you and your family. Police Officers are mature adults in the communitys around us. Police Officers need to know how to cook because of needing to eat and be a adult. When it comes to cooking some people can and some people can’t cook at all. Cooking comes with time and patience to cook, which a police officers should have a patience as adult. What it really comes down to is everyone really needs to know how to cook one way or another. Police officers are people when it comes to this conversation like anyone of the people in your families. With that being said officers have families to put food on the table and feed their families. I personally wouldn’t want a officer in my town to not be able to cook, because what else can or can’t he do? Everyone wants a respectful and well made mature officer and cooking comes to being a mature adult. When you talk and see a officer or even someone you don’t know you how mature they are by their body language and the way they talk. The body language of a person can defy how mature someone is like, you can tell a rookie cop from a veteran cop is the same type of features. DirtTrack003
This video had thrown me for a loop. When the director of the video put the camera on his face I was just in shock. To me to know that someone that young knows what crack is and that he thinks its funny when he snickers through the video. Having this realization sends chills down my spine. This so called war on drugs that has been going on for years now is one of the biggest losses the United States has suffered in its existence. When our children think that crack is joke and its some game like Grand Theft Auto V we need to reassess our priorities in the justice system. I am not saying video games make kids go out and replicate it. However i know for fact that the game in the video has a scene making drugs it could be that the director thought he would try it as well as a joke. This type of joke could have gone terribly wrong for the director or his younger sibling that was playing the game. We as adults should hold ourselves accountable for this type of action our kids are doing. We don’t have to micromanage what our kids do but still keep an eye on what we allow them to watch or play. When it comes down to it and I know we can’t always be there to review what are kids play. -MrWadewilson003
We live in a day in age where war on drugs has been a major epidemic for the past couple of years. The war on drugs started way back in the 1970s where people of all ages and all races were taking so many different kinds of drugs including crack. When crack was first developed most police departments didn’t have special training for certain types of drugs to know what it looked like and or what are the signs to look for or even knowing how to make crack. Polices officers needed to know how to make crack in order to understand what they are looking at. If a regular person who has never seen crack before they would think it would be flour, sugar, salt, and or some kind of powder. Police officers need to know what ingredients to look for in case they catch someone in the process of making crack or catching the suspect or a group of people selling crack. Drug investigators especially need to know what to look for and how to make it. Drug investigators deal with people who sell crack and all different kinds of drugs every single day. For example if a suspect or a group of people sell crack and there’s a raid that occurs and the investigators don’t know what to look for how can the drug investigator put someone in prison for selling or making the drug. They could be putting the case in jeopardy of possibly losing a case or letting the suspect get off scot free because they did not have the proper training to know what they were searching for. Police officers are using manufactured crack in “reverse stings” operations in which police officers pretend to be drug dealers in order to catch people or certain groups that purchase drugs from the undercover police officer. The displays of drugs by undercover police officers is a common tactic in reverse stings. Reverse stings basically use the same drugs that were taken from raids. Which is normally the case for most raids that they use another suspects drugs from another to try to catch another suspect. The knowledge of knowing how to make crack my not be understood to most but what i got from this is that the use of knowing how to make crack is for undercover work and for investigators to know the ingredients that goes into making this and watch what is bought in what store. Batman.003
ReplyDeleteThe prosecution of illegal drugs users and suppliers has been one of the primary factors in the enormous growth of the American correctional industry. Of course because many drugs are illegal, anybody who sells, uses, or in any way promotes any of these drugs, under most circumstances, breaking the law. The drug crime relationship goes well beyond the language of criminal dug statues however. Drugs are addictive it can ruin a family, a job, a life. I agree that drugs have very negative side effects, but are the solution to fight a very costly and ineffective battle to eradicate drugs entirely? Is it even a possibility? I’m not sure, we all know that the war on drugs has likely caused much more harm than good. Another major problem with our current situation is money. Not only it is expensive to prosecute drug offenders, it is expensive to detain then. Currently, more money is being put into building prisons than into building schools. If all this time and money is being spent on education, and prevention, and treatment, and the numbers continued rise, then an alternative must be sought. Addiction is like a disease but it viewed as treatable disease. Neither the drug user, nor drug supplier is responsible drug addiction. The disease concept calls for a drug policy that focuses on drug treatment and rehabilitation. since drugs are addictive most of people are trying their own means to make their own cheap drug to use. It is very important for the police to know how to make this crack because a lot of time when they come across the suspect with any substances for example the things we just saw on the the video to make crack, immediately the police will know that such person is involved in making crack. there are so many substances look like crack but if you know what is made up of, you will not have no doubts what crack is. on my opinion this is the reason why police should know. GUSII 003
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your response, I realized there were some topics I wished I had hit on in mine that you did very well in yours. One of those would be about the mass incarceration epidemic the U.S. has been struggling with for years now. The problem with this epidemic is that typically we arrest many low-end offenders and users and don't offer them much as far as rehabilitation options. If we would focus more on those who are producing these volatile drugs as well as shifting a bit more focus onto the users having rehabilitation freely available to them, I believe we would make a very large impact on the incarceration epidemic. GMan003
DeleteI found this video somewhat entertaining to watch, being as it is obviously just a “meme” of sorts (i.e. a joke). What I do not like about this video is that the director of the video (seemingly a young teen) is aware of what crack looks like, seems to know how to make a counterfeit drug, and also thinks this was a good idea to post on the internet. Although I am not here to judge, it makes me wonder what kind of environment he lives in to think any of this was a good idea, let alone how he was exposed to such a thing. In my personal opinion, I see only one benefit of anyone having legitimate knowledge on the production process of crack (more specifically the ingredients used and at least a basic concept of how the process works), and that would be those in law enforcement agencies who work these sorts of cases/pursue drug users/dealers/producers. The reason I could see this being useful to those in law enforcement goes along with the story that was shared with us during lecture- a street crack cook was flipped into an “informant” of a different variety- he had to put on a “presentation” for the storyteller's officers to show them how he cooked crack. The reason he had the man do this was so that his officers knew what crack smells like, what ingredients went in it, how the process worked, as well as how dangerous it can be. The presentation put on by the “informant” also provided the officers with new knowledge as to how these cooks can conceal their products and ingredients.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, the only people who should have this sort of knowledge and could legitimately benefit from it are those who are pursuing criminals involved with crack. Something else that was shared during lecture was that crack has an extremely acidic sort of smell to it- if someone who recognizes and is familiar with it, they will have a sort of tingling/burning sensation in their nose, which is easily identifiable as crack. This was another useful portion of the presentation those officers were able to use for future work. There are no recognized medicinal values of crack and destroys more lives than it will ever help (if any). As future workers of law enforcement agencies across the United States, we will be on the front lines of the war on the various drug epidemics, so we need to have this knowledge and awareness to do our jobs effectively. GMan003
I agree with what you are saying that the only reason law enforcement should know how to make crack or would know how to make the ingredients is for only investigations but what they don’t say is when detectives go undercover they may have a case where they betray a drug dealer or drug maker. Knowing how to make crack may save their case or more importantly lives. On the other hand there are some cops may take advantage of this and use this knowledge to make extra money on the side. In some cases they go to deep undercover and this creates a problem. Batman003
DeleteThis video was interesting as it offered some shallow insight on how to create crack which is a form of drug. This video seemed to be lacking a lot of information on the subject, however, the idea of creating crack quickly and fairly cheaply could be appealing to some individuals. The ingredients for such a concoction are fairly common house hold products or at least that is what was suggested within the video. Through this video, it displayed that there is no age requirement to be able to create crack; anyone with any background can. With this quickness, cheap ingredients, and common products creating crack is less of a strain for and individual or a group of people. Making crack the ideal drug to create and possible sell. However, policing this drug difficult; since there is abundant opportunities to create and sell this produce. More often than not, some police officers are unaware of how to create crack. Which then makes them at large unaware of the ingredients or the items to create the drug. Some officers are going into a crime scene ignorant of the crack and the crack operation. In this situation, the crack users and creators have the upper hand over the officer’s ignorance. With this lack of knowledge, the situation can lead into a dangerous territory for the officer due to their unawareness and unfamilliarness of this form of drug. That is the last quality we as a community want in our officers. The drug world is changing so quickly, making an environment treacherous for the officers to learn the abundant amount of changing information on drugs and how they are made and consumed by an individual or a group. It really is hard information to keep up on as it changes over the years. One drug may be more popular one year over another due to the generation or economics at the time. The officers must stay up to date on the drugs at the time, even though it is highly challenging. But it is for their benefit and it benefits the community also. I think it would greatly benefit the officers to know the process of creating crack and other forms of drugs so they know what to look for when entering a crime scene. Though the officers would be more rounded and diverse in how they process a crime scene. More drug knowledge can go a long way for officers. -CoalRoller003
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you about the video being interesting and it not having a lot of information on crack. I did not think about it that way, about the ingredients being common house hold items. Which means it's easier for kids to get to because its just laying around the house and it's easy access. I also agree with the fact that you said there is no age requirement to be able to make crack. In this video the boy seems young and he's making this video which proves he has some knowledge on the subject and may also be around it. -brooklyn003
DeleteThe use of drugs have been a big issue in the world today. Now a days many people make different kinds of drugs with many things that should not be used. This video is interesting but yet funny to watch. In this video this boy creates some sort of crack with brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, water and laundry detergent. This would help police officers because in order to catch people who sell and/or makes this stuff they should know how its made or what it looks like. This video shows both of those things. For example if and officer caught a suspect with a bag of a whitish, powdery substance they may think its salt, sugar, flour or any type of a powder substance. Then that suspect would get away and still continue to commit the crime around their community. Also if an officer needs to compare something to another he could make it and see if looks like the end result of what he's trying to figure out. Also this video would help investigators because if they are trying to figure out what a substance is they can figure out whats all in that one substance and then they would know that if the substance had things in it like sugar, water and baking soda that the person had crack on them. This video is also sad because the boy in it seems young. This shows that the war on drugs is not only towards older people, its towards kids too. It makes me wonder what his environment is like for him to know what crack is and for him to try and “make” it. Kids at this young age should not be think about making a youtube video on “How to Make Crack”. It also shows him “snorting” the crack he made at the end. The reason why I put snorting in quotes is because it does not show him actually doing it but it emplies it. Him doing that also shows that he must be around someone doing that stuff if he knows that, that's what you do with it after he already made it. Overall this video being made would help officers and investigators figure out what type of drug is being made and sold around. They would also know that it's not just sugar, salt, flour or any powder substance and thats its crack. Also this video shows how little kids can be and they are put around drugs and stuff like that and that needs to change. -brooklyn003
ReplyDeleteThe video was interesting as it offered some interesting insight on how to create crack from common household ingredients. The video did lack a lot of information on the crack itself and the idea of creating crack quickly and fairly cheaply could be appealing to some individuals. The ingredients were common household products. Through this video, it displayed that anyone create crack. With this quickness, cheap ingredients, and common products creating crack is less of a strain for and individual or a group of people. The reason I could see this video being useful to those in law enforcement is because along with the story that was shared with us during class. An individual who is cooking crack can was flipped into an informant. The cook had to speak for a group of officers to show them how he cooked crack. The reason he had the man do this was so that his officers knew what crack smells like, what ingredients went in it, how the process worked. This even showed them how dangerous this drug can be to cook. We learned in lecture that it is sometimes common for these cooks to mess up and actually blow up their “labs”. The talk that this informant put on provided the officers with knowledge that they did not know beforehand as to how these cooks can conceal their products and ingredients. Having more agencies get these sorts of talks can only help them. Knowing what to look for is very important for when it comes to policing. Even knowing the process of how to cook if crucial because it shows officers what kind of ingredients to look out for if they were to come across them when making a stop or searches. The video all in all was interesting to watch because it showed that even common items that can be bought at the store can be used to make the horrible drug that is crack. -CUBSFAN003
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest issues we have in today’s society is the war on drugs. Many people have learned how to make drugs and they make it in big consumptions and then are able to sell it on the streets and make profit off of it. People are then able to make a living off of it and be able to survive and make sure there is food on the table for their family. This is helpful for the cops because if a cop is going through a house for a warrant and they see these specific ingredients. Especially if the ingredients are in bulk and they are next to each other, the cops can assume that they are making crack and can charge them with the correct crime. Officers also have the ability to look at people’s card charges or even go the a specific grocery store and look at the cameras to see the different products they are buying. This can be another way that they prove they are making crack. Knowing the ingredients can also help people know what they are ingesting into their bodies when they are smoking crack or snorting it. Ingesting those types of chemicals that are equivalent to cleaning supplies is very dangerous. It breaks down your internal organs and cartilage. It also affects your brain and damages it over time. This then affects your mental health and you will eventually go crazy. Your body becomes reliant on the drug and if you do not ingest it enough your body goes through withdrawals. Another reason why it is necessary to know, so if you come across the drug you are able to identify what is in the bag. You’ll be able to identify it by knowing the different ingredients that is in the drug. The immigration rate in America is going up because of the making of crack. Many people are learning how to make it and then go and sell it out on the streets. Many people are also able to work together to create the drug and many more. The more people they have helping, the more people they know to sell too in order to make money and a living off of the drugs they are selling. Officers that know the specifics in the drugs and are able to clearly identify it, is very helpful and useful in the wrong run. This is not only good for their department but also other surrounding departments as well. #notaplumber003
ReplyDeleteWhen I first opened this video, and began watching I was like, how am I going to be able to write blog worth 400 words on this 3 minute video of a kid messing with people. But after some thought I finally figured out a reason on why I think Dr White showed us this video. I think for one it's to show how relevant crack is in America's communities. The kid filming this video seems like he is relatively young and the fact the he kind of has an idea on how to make something look sort of like crack is saying something about his life, and the things he has had to grow up around. When I was that kids age I barely knew the difference between weed, and marijuana. But that just shows us how kids of younger ages are growing up, and how relevant drugs in societies. I also think this video kind of shows the representation of the people making a drug like this. Obviously this video was trying to be funny, and the kid was acting, but I think it is a good representation. Usually we see drug dealers, and people who make the drugs as people who are trying to make some quick and easy cash, that are not very intelligent. Don't get me wrong there are people out there who deal drugs that are very intelligent, and very good at what they do. But we often hear about the crack makers blowing up their labs, and dying, or getting busted in an mobile crack making lab. I think we typically see these drugs prevalent in the low income communities. These kids see their parents doing drugs, so they are going to start doing drugs because that is what they grew up around, and that is the only thing that they know. So obviously these kids are going to follow by the example that their parents gave them, because obviously the kids think that if their parents do drugs, then that is what must be right. It's actually sad that some kids have to grow up like that, and go through lifestyle like that. Then these kids will go from users, to dealers, to suppliers, the list can go on and on. No kid should every have to live a life like that, but that is the harsh reality of some American Communities.
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The War on Drugs is still problem today. Many people are incarcerated for drug use or drug distribution. I think police officers should know how to cook so that they know what to look for if they’re in a situation that might revolve around potential drug use. If they go to search a house, they have to know what to look for or have some idea because if they don't know what they’re looking for, they could walk right past it and not look back.These different drugs are costing people their lives and I know that everyone makes their own choices but we have to try and save the people. No one knows everyone's story and why they do the things that they do. Police officers need to be trained on what type of equipment to look for and what ingredients are used in different drugs. Some things might be easy to spot like a meth lab but other things might not be so easy.There might be some police officers that don’t know what they’re looking for because they might not of been trained on what to look for. Drugs is still a big problem and I think every police officer should have some sort of training on this type of situation because drugs are very common now. When I was watching this video, it surprised me on how young the person in the video looked. He looked like he could be sixteen or seventeen. When I see teenagers using drugs, it make me sad. They’re young and having a drug problem at a young age can potentially affect the rest of their life. The way they’re getting the drugs can be very dangerous too. The drugs that they’re getting could be laced with something and could possible kill them. If they’re getting drugs from a drug dealer, that can also be a very dangerous situation. I’ve seen stories where drug deals have gone wrong and people either got injured or killed. If teenagers get caught with drugs and it goes on their record, it could affect their life later on and they could potentially be stereotyped. This shouldn't be a life for a teenager. They should not be in constant danger and doing things that can potentially kill them or harm them. I feel like this could also lead to gang activity. There are some gangs that are involved in drugs and gang activity can be very dangerous as well.
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The video shows a kid in his teens jokingly making crack with sugar, laundry detergent, and some other household ingredients. When the video started playing I was confused and thought I accidentally clicked something and was watching the wrong video, but I suppose not. I watched the video twice trying to figure out what I could say about it and through watching it, I realized how it is actually kind of sad that kids have a pretty good understanding of drugs, how they are made, and how to use them. With that, there is a problem. How are children being exposed to drugs? Is it through social media, television, relatives, or peers? It is sad and scary to think that kids have access to drugs such as crack and that some are abusing those drugs. While the video was a joke and somewhat entertaining, drug use is serious. Drugs can seriously ruin lives and tear families apart. Teenagers should definitely think about the consequences before using drugs, but that also means we need better drug prevention programs. -Smokeybear003
ReplyDeleteI feel like children and teenagers that know a lot about drugs, were exposed to it very young from family members or someone that was in their life a lot. They could of had a rough childhood and that could of influenced them to use drugs. There could also be peer pressure. If one of their friends is using drugs, they might feel pressured to go along and try it and then they can become addicted. I feel like drug prevention programs can only do so much. I went through DARE in middle school and I thought it was good but I think the people found out that it didn't really do much. They didn't receive the results that they wanted.-Soccer003
DeleteWhen the video first began, I had to click back out. I thought this has to be the wrong video. Seeing the laundry detergent I assumed maybe this is something use to break the crack down. But as I continued to watch and realize this is a child who is mimicking something he has seen a family member do or on television. It was also disturbing to see another child present. My question is where were the parents. And why would a child know the steps of cooking crack. Though he was obviously using the incorrect product he still could have harmed himself by ingesting these chemicals. I feel this video is beneficial to officers to see the harmful affects that crack is having on the community and the need to not only educate but also crack down on drugs. This video should also be shown in schools to teach children to stay away from drugs and friends who do things like this young man in the video. It is just crazy that a child though wrong in many ingredients some were correct. The baking soda and baking was true. Some people assume that kids these days have more knowledge on the newer drugs like molly and zans but crack is still relevant. Watching things like this is the reason I feel the D.A.R.E program was beneficial in schools. Jadist003
ReplyDeleteWhen I first used the link to watch the video, I thought maybe we were given the wrong link to our assignment. Upon further watching of the video, I realize it truly was the video we were suppose to watch. Crack is a very addictive and dangerous drug to be using. Many people across the united states have been struggling with this addiction. Crack has ruined many lives and can be seen in several different forms. In the video provided to the class, it looked to be a teenager who was jokingly showing people how to make crack. Now on the surface of this video it looks to be a funny video he was making and was not truly an informational video on how to cook crack. But looking at it on another level, it saddens me. This teenager had to of seen somewhere how to make crack or have been exposed to it in some capacity to even know a little bit about how to make this drug. He was showing it step by step on the process of creating crack. I feel that real informative videos on how crack is actually made may help investigators and patrol officers stop drugs from being formed and dealed to people on the streets. A story was shared with us in class about how cops were given a presentation from a manufacturer of crack on the process and ingredients going into the drug. I feel like this is very important in some aspect. In order to put a stop to the this growing narcotic problem, a person must first be able to identify the signs of drug production/use. Knowing how to identify the key characteristics will dramatically increase the chance of putting a stop to the problem. In the story shared, these officers were previously stepping over drug paraphernalia in drug raids and busts. Most people would think that officers are very well informed of drugs and their many forms, but sadly not all departments have the budget to teach narcotics classes. If the officers have not been exposed to the aspects that come along with drugs, they are not equipped with the tools to crack down of drugs. This video, though obviously a joke, may be an important way in stopping the drug epidemic. -AS003
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy how easy it is for someone to make crack or any other drugs. These items can be bought by anyone at almost every store. These drugs ruin many lives because these so called chemist are making drugs out of random items that should not be put together. Officers really need this training, they could be passing up many items that they might seem harmless. If they have the training they will be able to bag many items that are used to make drugs making a better case against the offender. -ClarkKent003
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ReplyDeleteThat was an very interesting video. This video shows the way how to make crack. Crack is a drug. The fact that it is cheap and easy to make shows why they like making it. Because it is so easy to make, makes it an easy profitable substance. Crack is also a very difficult substance to police. Crack is a white powerdy substance that is very little crystals. This substance is very easy to spill while making. Sugar is used in making crack. The screen just went blank. Ster it and put it in the sink so if it spills it’s an easy cleanup. Pour hot water into the container. Put the container in the oven and cook it at 800 degrees. After the oven, pour some baking soda and mix it with the sugar. Shake the container real good. Stir it as much as possible. It should look chunky.-chicubs003
This video was actually very informative even though the video was a joke. This video shows how easy it is for someone of any age and race to make drugs. These items are found at almost every store and can be bought by nearly everyone. These are also cheap items that can be bought in a mass quantity. Many people are getting hurt by these “chemists” because they are putting random chemicals and items to make drugs. This video was fun to watch but Police Officers really should know how to make the drugs that they are fighting. How can they put people away when they don’t even know what they are looking for. The Drug epidemic is at a all-time high right now in our country. There are thousands of people using and making drugs. We are locking up so many people that use drugs instead of the people making it. This could be because that Officers do not have the training or knowledge to identify the tools that people using to make the drugs. Another reason to why Officers should learn how to make the drugs is to obtain more evidence against the offender. A officer who does not have the knowledge of what is used to make the drugs might walk pass evidence that can put the offender away for a long time. It would be easy for an officer to walk past lighter fluid or baking soda because they are items that seem to be harmless. But these items can be used to make the drugs that they are locking up people for. Other items that an officer might pass up are batteries, scales, foil, etc. If this officer has the training they will be able to bag and tag many items that can build a case against the offender. Law enforcement agencies need to put money and resources into training officers to know how to make drugs. -ClarkKent003
ReplyDeleteI do like how you covered that an officer should be trained on how drugs are made to bring more evidence on an offender. I also believe that can be used to help further investigations or even a police officer's knowledge on drugs. Another big thing that you brought up that i liked is that these ingredients can be easily missed during the investigation. With the proper knowledge an officer like you said should be able to identify and put the evidence in the right type of holding to be processed later. -Mr.Wadewilson003
DeleteI am not really sure on what I even think about this video. It was kind of funny and did not have a whole lot of information about how it is really made. I think the main idea of being shown this video was to maybe show us how easy the concept of making crack can be. On how easy it can be made in just a matter of minutes and how it can be made with a lot of things that can be just laying around your house around any given time such as the gain detergent and the baking soda and hot water. I am not experienced at all on crack so I really can not tell you if that was a legit video on how to make it or not. If you can use those easy and pretty cheap materials then that would explain why it is such a problem here in this country. If all you have to do is mix these cheap things around and make a bunch of money by doing it, there is going to be plenty of people in line to do it. This video also surprised me a little bit when i thought that there was a man on the other side of the camera and he turned it around and there was a 12 year old boy sitting there trying to teach me how to make crack, and then right in front of his little sister at that. What makes kids want to make a video like this? It makes me wonder maybe what these kids are around and what they are seeing around the house or in the neighborhoods that they are living in. When I was that age I do not even think that i had ever even heard of crack as a drug, let alone thinking about making a whole video on how to make crack and putting it on the internet for people to see me trying to snort it. It is actually pretty sad to see something like this. This would be an important video for an officer to see so that they can see how easy it really is to make crack, if this is an accurate video. They can see that they use just everyday house items and ingredients so that hopefully when they can see all of these ingredients together they can hopefully pick up on what is going on and see that they are making crack or something else like that. -Steel003
ReplyDeleteThe video gave me the same feeling at the first part of it. Like anyone and everyone says you can get cancer from anything and everything. The household you live in has many different items that can make many different types of drugs. The video makes you think on how many households this could be happening at on a daily bases. The worst part of it all is that chemical reactions are very known to have bad responses when played with. A 12 year old boy would have no clue or knowledge about that type of burn on his skin and what to do when it happens. Now its a very different situation when adults are doing it but still some wont know how deal with or even know its possible. When someone has a need for a drug so bad to use household items there is nothing that will stop them. DirtTrack003
DeleteAt first I didn’t think that i was watching the right video but, then I figured out what was going on with the video. The video really did catch me off guard with a minor making a “type of drug” or knowing how to even make it is kind of mind blowing in many ways. This situation happens more then anyone ever wants to know. Children have gotten very creative with making and trying new drugs over the time. The guess and check game is always played when experimenting with new drugs. The blog is about how to cook, cooking is a task to survive when you get down to the core of it. Cooking is a mature and a need to do and have when living and growing up as a adult. Cooking has to be done to feed you and your family. Police Officers are mature adults in the communitys around us. Police Officers need to know how to cook because of needing to eat and be a adult. When it comes to cooking some people can and some people can’t cook at all. Cooking comes with time and patience to cook, which a police officers should have a patience as adult. What it really comes down to is everyone really needs to know how to cook one way or another. Police officers are people when it comes to this conversation like anyone of the people in your families. With that being said officers have families to put food on the table and feed their families. I personally wouldn’t want a officer in my town to not be able to cook, because what else can or can’t he do? Everyone wants a respectful and well made mature officer and cooking comes to being a mature adult. When you talk and see a officer or even someone you don’t know you how mature they are by their body language and the way they talk. The body language of a person can defy how mature someone is like, you can tell a rookie cop from a veteran cop is the same type of features. DirtTrack003
ReplyDeleteThis video had thrown me for a loop. When the director of the video put the camera on his face I was just in shock. To me to know that someone that young knows what crack is and that he thinks its funny when he snickers through the video. Having this realization sends chills down my spine. This so called war on drugs that has been going on for years now is one of the biggest losses the United States has suffered in its existence. When our children think that crack is joke and its some game like Grand Theft Auto V we need to reassess our priorities in the justice system. I am not saying video games make kids go out and replicate it. However i know for fact that the game in the video has a scene making drugs it could be that the director thought he would try it as well as a joke. This type of joke could have gone terribly wrong for the director or his younger sibling that was playing the game. We as adults should hold ourselves accountable for this type of action our kids are doing. We don’t have to micromanage what our kids do but still keep an eye on what we allow them to watch or play. When it comes down to it and I know we can’t always be there to review what are kids play. -MrWadewilson003
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