ยง 177-a. Declaration of legislative findings and intent. The
legislature hereby finds and declares that an emergency of grave
dimensions exists in narcotics law enforcement in cities having a
population of one million or more. The overall law enforcement effort
has not been successful in stemming the distribution of narcotic drugs.
The legislature finds that the ineffectiveness of official efforts to
contain the narcotics traffic is due in significant part to the
inability of the overburdened criminal justice system to cope with the
enormous volume of narcotics cases.
The legislature further finds that this crisis, which transcends the
traditional jurisdictional boundaries of the counties wholly contained
within such cities having a population of one million or more, demands
coordinated prosecution, centralized direction and the infusion of
massive new resources.
The legislature declares that without these new directions and
resources, this crisis will intensify and very shortly overwhelm the
already strained criminal justice system.
Based upon the above findings the legislature hereby declares that an
emergency narcotics court program is required.
It is the intent of the legislature that the emergency narcotics
program should be coordinated by the division of criminal justice of the
office of planning services in cooperation with the criminal justice
coordinating councils of such cities. The program would be implemented
by the joint efforts of the district attorneys of the counties within
cities having a population of one million or more, the judiciary, and
other criminal justice services acting in accordance with a mutually
agreed upon plan. The legislature contemplates that the program
authorized herein shall consist of the establishment of special
narcotics parts in the supreme court in cities having a population of
one million or more to hear and determine narcotic cases from within
counties wholly contained in a city having a population of one million
or more, commencing not later than the September nineteen hundred
seventy-two term and continuing thereafter during the duration of the
emergency.
The legislature declares that the resources necessary for these
special narcotics parts of the supreme court can be made available only
through a combination of federal funds from the law enforcement
assistance administration of the United States department of justice,
and state and local funds, services and facilities. To this end the
legislature declares that in order to utilize presently appropriated
federal funds, all necessary agreements shall be entered into forthwith.