John Burke spent the first 32 years of his law enforcement career with the Cincinnati Police Department. He retired from that position in 1999, and has been the Commander of the Warren County Ohio Drug Task Force until his retirement in October 2015 after 16 years with the drug task force.
He was tasked to form the Cincinnati Police Division’s Pharmaceutical Diversion Squad in 1990, and commanded that unit until October 1999, when he retired. The PDS was considered by many to be the top pharmaceutical diversion unit in the United States. Law enforcement officers from across the country have trained under the guidance of his investigators. The PDS was featured on NBC’s Dateline for their efforts in the pursuit of health care professionals involved in the illegal diversion of pharmaceutical drugs from health care facilities. The segment highlighted the tremendous success made by the squad in identifying and combating drug diversion in hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care.
John Burke, until recently, commanded the Warren County Drug Task Force and the Southwest Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and the Southwest Ohio Bulk Currency Smuggling Task Force. The task force employees over 25 individuals representing federal (FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI), state(BCI), Ohio National Guard, and local law enforcement agencies, that come together to pursue mid to upper level drug traffickers throughout the United States. One full time experienced detective pursues the traditional pharmaceutical diversion cases within the jurisdiction.
John Burke has conducted hundreds of presentations on the subject of pharmaceutical diversion. He has the ability to help a wide array of attendees identify the problems, find the solutions, and institute a preventative program. The message is conveyed in a simple, common sense manner, satisfying the needs of the particular audience being addressed. The utilization of a variety of audio visuals with touches of humor, make the presentations interesting and enjoyable.
John Burke has written numerous articles that have been seen in health professional, law enforcement, and human resource publications across the country. He is the author of a monthly column that appears in Pharmacy Times magazine. He is the Past President of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. Presentations or consultations can be offered to a variety of groups and agencies, each one customized for your particular needs. John Burke is the co-founder and President of the International Health Facility Diversion Association (IHFDA). A non-profit 501-C3 dedicated to providing education on the topic of drug diversion within healthcare facilities.