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During 1982 and 1983, the years in issue, petitioners were
Philadelphia police officers assigned to the 5 Squad. The
Philadelphia Police Department was organized on a squad system
which included four line squads usually consisting of uniformed
officers (called 1 Squad, 2 Squad, etc.), the 5 Squad, and a 6
Squad. The 5 Squad was a narcotics squad within the Philadelphia
Police Department which had authority to enforce the ordinances
of the City of Philadelphia and the laws of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. It also assisted in enforcement in surrounding
townships by assisting police from those townships. The 5
Squad's headquarters were located at 39th Street and Lancaster
Avenue in Philadelphia (the unit). The Philadelphia Police
Narcotics Unit headquarters were located in the Police
Administration Building (PAB) at 8th and Race Streets. The 5
Squad was disbanded on or about February 1, 1984.
5 Squad Procedures
If a police officer observed a drug transaction, that
officer could make an immediate arrest and confiscate the drugs.
Otherwise, an officer wishing to make an arrest could do so
through the use of a search warrant or through the undercover
purchase of illegal drugs. The officer preparing the search
warrant was the "assigned officer" for that case.7
7 Supervisors did not prepare search warrants.
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