National HIDTA Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative

The National Domestic Highway Enforcement Initiative (DHE) promotes collaborative, intelligence-led, unbiased policing in coordinated and mutually supportive multi-jurisdictional law enforcement efforts on the Nation’s highways.  The DHE strategy both improves the investigative efforts of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) in attacking drug trafficking organizations and has significant impact on traffic safety, homeland security, and other crimes. 

DHE Goals:

To enhance investigations leading to the disruption and dismantlement of the drug trafficking and money laundering organizations that use the Nation’s highways as a means of transporting illegal drugs, currency, and other contraband and illicit commodities from one location to another

• To cultivate and share intelligence information pertaining to individuals and organizations who use the Nation’s highways as a means of transporting illegal drugs, currency, and other illicit commodities or create other threats and hazards on those highways

• To promote shared operational planning, intelligence, and coordination among Federal, state, and local law enforcement to improve their ability to effectively address all crimes, threats, and hazards relating to our Nation’s highways

• Given the wide footprint of the HIDTA program, a coordinated nationwide highway enforcement strategy contributes significantly to reducing criminal activity and enhancing public safety on the Nation’s major transportation corridors. Such an approach builds on the strengths of both the HIDTA program and state and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) which have historically provided resources to ensure the Nation’s highways are safe for citizens and not used for illegal activities, such as drug trafficking.

The DHE strategy has been implemented within nine designated DHE regions.  These regions are designated by ONDCP in consultation with HIDTA directors. The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA along with the Washington’s Northwest HIDTA and California’s Northern California HIDTA Central Valley HIDTA and Los Angeles HIDTA make up Region 2. 

DHE’s 21st Century Interdiction Code of Conduct