Prohibition Agents in Action

Prohibition agents were responsible for the “investigation, detection, and punishment” of those who broke any of the alcohol and narcotic laws.[1] For the most part, agents were subject only to the authority of the Prohibition Commissioner, who could dictate policy and rules. However, the Treasury Department did reserve the right to negate any decisions made by the Commissioner.

In the Prohibition Bureau office, agents were under the supervision of an administrator who was appointed to the task of managing that regional branch of the Bureau.[2] In addition, each regional branch was also required to have an attorney, a chemist, and a chief clerk on staff at all times. The attorney and chemist were in place to assist agents during their investigations with their expertise. The chief clerk was charged with managing each agent's case files and directing information to the proper office.[3]

In the field, agents would become involved in a variety of activities. First, they had to ensure that both the public and local law enforcement trusted and cooperated with the Bureau. Agents often relied on local police for their knowledge of the community and its citizens who might potentially serve as informants. However, Prohibition enforcement was more than just straightforward law enforcement. Agents worked to enact the Bureau’s mission of nationwide compliance through semi-veiled attempts at coercion. In the case of railroad companies, agents were instructed in the use of confiscation of trains and cargo as a technique to force railroad companies to crack down nonlegal drinking aboard trains.[4] In response, railroad companies began using large signs to notify riders that alcohol would not be tolerated and would result in a report to the Bureau. This tactic was also applied in the case of landlords and real estate owners.[5] These individuals would receive notices from agents describing the legal repercussions against them and their property if they were found to have any knowledge about their tenants' illegal activities.[6]

Second, agents were tasked with conducting investigations. With the help of each regional branch’s attorney, agents would investigate and then prepare each case for federal prosecutors. With the use of informants and their own investigative work, agents aimed to catch prohibition violators of all kinds, from middle-class kids enjoying liquor at a speakeasy to mafia soldiers who were in charge of illegal liquor distribution.[7] The goal of these agents was to catch as many violators possible during each raid. Because of the Bureau’s relatively small agent force, agents often conducted raids with the help of local law enforcement.[8] In most cases, agents were most busy right after a liquor raid. Once the violators were arrested, Prohibition agents would investigate the site for illegal liquor and illegal manufacturing equipment.[9] With the help of the Bureau chemist, agents would process the materials in order to uncover the origins of the liquor. Although drinking was considered a criminal offense, the Bureau was more interested in manufacturers and distributors. 

Lastly, agents were responsible for investigating small-scale narcotic violations. The 1914 Harrison Act made the prescribing of coca leave products, such as opium and cocaine, a regulated activity. Until the 1930 creation of the Bureau of Narcotics, the Bureau of Prohibition was tasked with the Harrison Act’s enforcement. The Bureau treated narcotics in the same way they handled illegal alcohol. Agents were trained to focus their energy on organized crime operations and low level dealers as the source for illegal narcotics, despite the Harrison Act’s emphasis on doctors' perscribing activities.

As much as Prohibition agents and commissioners are important when looking at the history of the Bureau, one must not forget the perspective of the Bureau’s enemy, the Prohibition criminals.