Episode 83 Dallas Police Narcotics Detective Steve Hodack #8227: The Art of Undercover Work

“You can’t do this”
Today’s guest is an artist with the Dallas Police Department. He’s not an artist that uses an easel, paint brush, or canvas, instead he uses his personality, drive and natural adaptability as his tools to present his own form of artwork.

He treats undercover work as a form of artwork…. he uses his tools to gain to win the target’s admiration and trust, then betray them for the greater good.

The cat and mouse game of police undercover work, in the United States, goes back to the early 1800s when the New York City Police created the Italian Squad to combat the crime in the poor Italian neighborhoods.  Clandestine work has become a major tool against the war on drugs as this trade is global.  The narcotic trades breeds violence, corruption, theft, homicide, terrorism, and ruined families and lives.

Today’s guest joined the Dallas Police Department after the tech collapse after 9/11 and hit the Northeast Division, The other God’s Country, streets and quickly began chasing dope.

He ventured off to other Investigative Units but found his niche as a Narcotics Detective ten years ago.

His resume is as follows:

• Logged about 500 dynamic entries.
• Received clan lab training at Camp Dodge in Johnston, IA and DEA Academy in Quantico, VA / received Level A training at classified DEA facility in California.
• In the FBI Task Force, I conducted federal investigations on transnational organized crime groups including various cartels, syndicates and mafia organizations.  I was certified as an FBI undercover employee.  I began travelling the United States extensively to work undercover on domestic terrorism, counter terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering cases.  At the same time, I was tasked with running the FBI drug interdiction/bulk currency smuggling operation at Dallas Love Field with FBI SA Perez.  During my time with the FBI, I was awarded the United States Attorney’s Award of Excellence for helping prevent a terrorist event on U.S. soil.  After 4 years with the FBI Task Force, I was given the opportunity to transfer to the IRS Money Laundering Task Force.
• In the IRS Task Force, I conduct federal money laundering investigations.  The nature of these cases is highly classified.

The ATO Family will get to know Steve Hodack up close and personal and even hear characteristics that most of his close friends do not know. Steve chose us to open up on his personal life, professional drive and how a psychological profile made his life and career make sense.

Detective Hodack the stage is yours………

 

Critical Incident:

November 24th, 2009, Officer involved shooting in the Northeast Division while Hodack was working in the Deployment Unit.