Head of SEMO Drug Task Force retiring Sept. 1

As the state's most senior narcotics investigator, Sgt. Kevin Glaser has seen a lot of changes in how law enforcement has battled against illegal drugs during his 28-year career with the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

For 22 years, Glaser has been on the front lines of that battle through his involvement with the SEMO Drug Task Force, an organization he has commanded for about 17 of those years.

While the battle against illegal drugs will continue, it will do so without Glaser's everyday involvement as he will retire Sept. 1.

"At one point in time, I thought I would retire when I got all the dope off the street," said Glaser. "I realized quite a while ago that was an unrealistic dream."

What Glaser also realized about a decade ago was he was where he wanted to finish his career.

"I felt like I didn't need to go anywhere," Glaser said. "For me, a move up the chain in our organization, would have meant a move away from narcotics enforcement, and it probably would have been a move away from Southeast Missouri.

"I just had no desire to do either. I like living where I live, and I liked doing what I do. I just decided to basically retire as a sergeant on the patrol. I'm pretty happy with that."

Glaser's decision to join the patrol followed a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and graduation from Southeast Missouri State University in 1979.

"I made the decision when I was in the Marines; I knew I wasn't going to make a career out of that," said Glaser, who described law enforcement as capturing his interest.

After serving three years with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, Glaser joined the patrol in 1983. His first road assignment was at Sikeston, Mo., and "I never left," he said.

While working in the zone, "I just kind of developed an interest in drug work, narcotics," Glaser said. "A lot of my enforcement efforts as a uniformed officer would lead into drug investigations."

In the late 1980s, Glaser said, he worked a couple of years on Troop E's marijuana eradication team, which "kind of fed the hunger a little bit more. I got really interested in that kind of work."

Glaser said in 1990 the Highway Patrol expanded its narcotics unit, which was about the same time the SEMO Drug Task Force was created.

"It just kind of fell into place, where I put in for it and got selected for that position," said the unit's last, original member. "Right now, currently, I've probably got the most tenure in the narcotics division of the highway patrol.

"I don't think there is anyone who has more (years of service) than I do."

Glaser said he has seen a lot of changes, including in officer safety, as well as the unit's operating methods and technology.

"We're working a lot safer than what we used to work," said Glaser. "When I first started narcotics, you basically made a phone call to your supervisor to say 'Hey, this is where I'll be. If you don't hear from me by such and such time, you might send somebody out looking.'

"That's how we ran. It's not a good way to conduct operations, and fortunately, we don't have to (now). We've made good changes as far as officer safety and how we conduct business.."

Now, a surveillance team is nearby in case things "go bad; they can come in and help," he said.

Of all the search warrants executed and arrests made during Glaser's tenure, "everyone's gone home," Glaser said. "That's one of the things … as a supervisor you're always worried about.

"You know what the guys are out there doing … we deal with a lot of bad people."

His officers' safety is "always is the back of your mind, especially when you get the phone call at 2 o'clock in the morning," he said. "I've been very fortunate, (the call hasn't been) 'Oh my God, this is what happened.'"

While there have been a few "little incidents," Glaser said, the worst physical injury he recalls is a broken ankle. "That ain't bad at all," he said.

At the time it was created, Glaser said, the task force had six officers. "We've about doubled that number, so we've got more officers to work with," he said. "And, I think our methods have changed over the years out of necessity.

"A lot of that has to do with the drugs that are out there on the street."

The task force, according to Glaser, initially started out primarily as an "undercover operation."

Those, he said, were long-term, manpower intensive investigations.

"We've gotten away from that a lot," Glaser said. "Our main goal now is to conduct … usually covert operations (but) we just do them in a different manner, where we can be more effective."

Also helping to improve the officers' effectiveness is the technology, which has "made a big difference in the way we operate," said Glaser, who recently turned in his equipment, including his original camera.

Glaser said a 2-foot-by-2-foot case contained the camera, which had a lens measuring a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch diameter. Looking to conceal that camera, he said, took some engineering.

"Nowadays, you have a pinhole camera, the size of a credit card or smaller even, and the size of the lens is about the size of a pin head," Glaser said. "It's just so much better with the equipment we've got available (now) to get the job done."

In the early 1990s, Glaser said, imported methamphetamine, as well as cocaine and marijuana, were what officers concentrated on.

When the methamphetamine labs began, Glaser said, officers had to find a way to address the problem.

"When the labs took off, it changed things a lot," since undercover operations weren't possible and officers had to deal with potentially explosive situations, Glaser said.

Narcotics work, he said, changes from year to year, sometimes month to month in regard to "how they're operating, what they're doing and how they're conducting business.

"You've got to change with them or you're going to have serious problems, and you're not going to be effective."

What officers are looking at ways to address now is a prescription pill problem, as well as all the synthetic drugs "getting dumped into our area," Glaser said.

Up until a couple of years ago, heroin wasn't a problem in Southeast Missouri, but now "it's becoming a problem, so we've got to look at all those things" he said. "There's a lot of drugs out there on the street.

"The number of people using drugs, unfortunately continues to increase."

Glaser also faced making his own changes when he took over as the unit's commander in 1995, describing it as a challenge to transition from a investigative officer to an administration officer.

"That was probably one of the biggest challenges for me," he said. "I was a police officer; I was a cop, then you get thrown into the role … now you're writing grants, dealing with budgets, doing all these other things that come with administration … we didn't have any training, any education.

"It was kind of fly by the seat of your pants and learn."

Glaser said he made some mistakes along the way, but he had to "get things figured out pretty quick to keep things on track."

While his transition was "pretty abrupt," Glaser said, he decided early on he wouldn't do that to his replacement.

"We've been doing a transition really for a couple of months now," said Glaser, who has been bringing his replacement, Sgt. Mark McClendon, in and "breaking him in slow over what needs to be done and where everything is at."

McClendon, who has been with the unit for about 11 years, will do a good job, Glaser said.

"We've worked a long time together," he said. "He's got a good grasp on it already, so I think that will be a smooth transition."

Glaser said he also is staying on in an "advisory capacity" and will continue to assist in the officers' training.

"The benefit of that is I still get to go out and play once in a while," said Glaser. "I think it will work out well; it would be hard to just walk away from it" completely.

What Glaser won't miss is the headaches and frustration that goes with the administrative work or the annual funding battle.

He plans to remain active in the Missouri Narcotics Officers Association, and be a "little bit vocal" if he thinks the need is there, and continue teaching, including at the law enforcement academy.