The Lake County HIDTA is a multi-agency program with personnel from 15 local, state, and federal agencies assigned to five separate task force initiatives, as well as training, prosecution, and intelligence initiatives. The Lake County Sheriff's Department plays a major role in the HIDTA with police officers assigned to the various initiatives while the Sheriff also servers on the HIDTA Executive board.

The mission of the Lake County HIDTA is to reduce drug availability and usage by creating intelligence-driven drug task forces aimed at eliminating or reducing domestic drug trafficking and it's harmful effects through the enhancement and coordination of drug trafficking control efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Task force initiatives currently in operation include the following:

The DEA State & Local Task Force
ADEA-led, collocated, multi-agency initiative designed to disrupt and dismantle large scale drug trafficking and money laundering organizations operating on a regional and national level. In 2004, this unit will encompass an interdiction effort, targeting organizations with US/Mexican Southwest Border connections that use the highways of northwest Indiana to transport cocaine, marijuana, and the illicit proceeds they generate into and through the area.

The Gary Response Investigative Team (GRIT)
An FBI-led, multi-jurisdictional, collocated task force with a mission to disrupt and dismantle mid/upper level drug trafficking organizations (DTO) responsible for homicides and other drug-related violent crime in Gary. The GRIT uses detention without bond and federal prosecution as weapons against violent DTOs. This initiative has significantly impacted Gary's crack house epidemic and the violent crimes and plagues of homicides it spawned.

The Lake County Combined Task Force (LCCTF)
A collocated, multi-agency task force led by the Lake County Sheriff's Department and the DEA. Its mission is to target, disrupt, and dismantle locally established drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations, and violent criminal street gangs operating in Lake County.

The Firearms Interdiction Regional Enforcement (FIRE) Team
An ATF-led task force that conducts ballistics testing and identification by utilizing the Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) instrumentation. The IBIS unit can link bullets and casings with other crimes, thereby providing valuable investigative leads. FIRE also identifies and targets persons and organizations that illegally purchase, use, and supply firearms. FIRE analyzes firearm transactions and identifies those who obtain firearms through "straw" purchases, the use of fictitious or illegally acquired Indiana handgun permits and unlicensed dealers.

The Northwest Indiana Gang Task Force (NWIGTF)
An FBI-led, multi-agency initiative, located in Merrillville that investigates violent street gangs in East Chicago and Hammond. The task force often uses intelligence and leads from GRIT investigations and operations. This initiative successfully uses Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statutes to disrupt and dismantle the hierarchy of gangs involved in drug trafficking, homicides, serious assaults, extortion, weapon violations, and money laundering.

Investigative Support Center
The Investigative Support Center (ISC) is the cornerstone of the Lake County HIDTA. The mission of the ISC is to provide support to both HIDTA partners and area law enforcement that would not be available without the HIDTA program. Event and target deconfliction service provides a vital safety net for agent/officer safety while also preventing the wasteful duplication of effort and resources. In addition, the ISC serves as a clearinghouse for all gun arrests made by the four major departments, as well as the numerous city courts in Northwest Indiana. The ISC is the only unit in the county with collocated access to county, state, and federal databases. The ISC also assists area law enforcement with its state-of-the-art video and audio enhancement capabilities, which are provided in support of both investigators and prosecutors in cases ranging from drug trafficking to bank robbery and homicide.

The Lake County ISC also has a new Computer Forensic Lab that is able to process electronic evidence from multiple cases. The trained forensic examiners are able to identify, seize, acquire, and analyze different forms of electronic media. The ISC is the only unit in the region that can conduct onsite computer forensic examinations. While the priority of the unit is drug investigations, support is also provided to local agencies with major, non-drug investigations on a case-by-case basis as workload permits. The unit also supports the Chicago HIDTA.