Who We Are and What We Do: Intelligence

Take a peek into the inner workings of the Drug Enforcement Administration in the Museum’s 2019 lecture series “Who We Are and What We Do.” Elizabeth L. Maurer, Curator of Education for the DEA Museum, moderates a panel discussion with four members of the intelligence staff stationed at Headquarters. Aaron Hurwitz, Intelligence Research Specialist; Kia M. Pratt, Intelligence Staff Coordinator; Carrie N. Thompson, Executive Assistant to the Chief of Intelligence; and William N. Trull, Intelligence Research Specialist lend their expertise and discuss their respective roles in the Intelligence Division of DEA. Together, they have over 40 years of experience with DEA. The panelists discuss how they came to work at DEA, their current roles in the agency, and their day-to-day activities on the job.

Since its establishment in 1973, DEA, in coordination with other federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement organizations, has been responsible for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of drug-related intelligence. The role of intelligence in drug law enforcement is critical. The DEA Intelligence Program helps initiate new investigations of major drug organizations, strengthens ongoing cases and subsequent prosecutions, develops information that leads to seizures and arrests, and provides policy makers with drug trend information upon which programmatic decisions can be based.

The DEA’s Intelligence Program has grown significantly since its inception. From only a handful of intelligence analysts (I/A) in the domestic offices and Headquarters in 1973, to over 700 I/As worldwide today. DEA’s intelligence program encompasses a wide variety of investigative and strategic intelligence assignments spanning the globe.