Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan was tapped to chair the Intelligence Committee for the region’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan has been named chairman of the Intelligence Committee for the region’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), a multi-agency team that has helped crack some of the area’s largest crime initiatives.

Funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, HIDTA is a combined federal, state, and local program that operates in 28 regions nationwide to coordinate law enforcement efforts to fight high-level drug trafficking and the violence that accompanies it, a news release said.

“Drugs and violent crime are inextricably intertwined,” said Hogan. “We need to bring all of our intelligence tools to the game to stay one step ahead of the bad guys, whether we are talking about Philadelphia or Camden or Coatesville. HIDTA gives us the tools to take the fight to the criminals and keep our law-abiding citizens safe.”

Over 30 agencies are members of the regional HIDTA group, including the United States Attorney’s Office, FBI, DEA, ATF, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, and the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. The regional HIDTA group covers Chester County, Delaware County, Philadelphia County, as well as Camden County in New Jersey..

“We are very honored and gratified to have someone with Tom Hogan’s commitment, vision, and experience as both a federal and local prosecutor taking this important leadership role as chairman of our Intelligence Committee,” said HIDTA Executive Director Jeremiah Daley in the release. “He will play an integral part in advancing HIDTA’s capacity to bolster the efforts of the region’s law enforcement community through information-sharing, intelligence assessments, and investigative case support.”

The HIDTA Intelligence Committee works to spot emerging trends in drug trafficking at a national and local level. HIDTA also acts as a bridge for agencies to share information and law enforcement techniques to combat violent crime.

Across the region, HIDTA has been responsible for multiple major convictions regarding violent drug gangs. In Chester County, HIDTA was part of the team responsible for Operation Tubería Rota, resulting in arrests and convictions of members of international drug-trafficking organizations in Southern Chester County. HIDTA also was part of Operation Silent Night, an initiative in Coatesville that targeted violent criminals and drug dealers in that city, the release said.

Chester County HIDTA is commanded by the Chester County Detectives. Officers and agents from the Coatesville Police Department, Kennett Square Police Department, Oxford Police Department, DEA, FBI, and Homeland Security also are part of Chester County HIDTA.

Hogan said he appreciated the trust being placed in him. “It is always important for law enforcement to coordinate our efforts and work together to keep our region safe, particularly from the violence and destruction caused by sophisticated drug-trafficking organizations. When law enforcement works as a team, nobody can stop us.”