Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
From sea to shining sea, cops, jail guards, and court officers go bad. This week, in addition to the usual rogues' gallery of corrupt cops, we get an abusive one, too.
Sentencing: Pennsylvania Senate Approves Treatment-Not-Jail Measure
Suffering a budgetary hangover after years of "tough on crime" and mandatory minimum sentencing policies, the Pennsylvania Senate voted last week to divert nonviolent drug offenders to treatment, among other reforms. The House is expected to pass the bill soon.
Latin America: Mexicans Bummed Out By Prohibition-Related Violence -- 44% Say Legalize Drugs
Mexico's high levels of prohibition-related violence are taking their toll on public confidence south of the border. But they are also making Mexicans more amenable to thinking about legalization, according to a new poll.
Medical Marijuana: Washington State Judge Plays Doctor, Convicts Authorized Patient of Cultivating His Own Medicine
In convicting a properly certified medical marijuana patient of cultivation, a Washington state judge has decided she's a doctor, not just a lawyer.
Search and Seizure: Florida Defense Attorneys Challenge Drug Dog "Hits"
The use of drug dogs to search vehicles during traffic stops is becoming increasingly popular with police. But now, some Florida attorneys are challenging the reliability of the dogs because some have been shown to "hit" consistently on cars -- even when no drugs are on board.
Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
Poll Shows Strong Support in Mexico for Drug Legalization
A BBC World Service poll released Monday found Mexicans evenly divided on the question of whether drug legalization should be considered as a solution to the nationâs problem with drug war violence. 44% of respondents agreed that legalization of drugs should be considered, while 46% disagreed. Additionally, a full 80% believed that "the government should consider seeking other alternatives to end the problem."
These results reflect widespread frustration with the increased drug trade violence triggered by President Calderonâs efforts at cracking down on traffickers. Police are being killed at alarming rates, with some even fleeing to the U.S. in search of asylum. Civilians are being massacred in shootings by police and grenade attacks by drug traffickers. Bloody botched police raids and gratuitous human rights violations by the Mexican army have terrorized the population. Affluent Mexicans are having microchips implanted in their flesh in case of kidnappings and the traffickers are driving modified James Bond-style getaway vehicles.
These are the inevitable consequences of a brutal civil war that continues to enrich powerful drug lords at the perpetual expense of peace and social order. Anyone living on the front lines of Mexicoâs expansive drug war battlefield can plainly observe the contributions of Calderonâs crackdown towards increasing the bloodshed. Things didnât get better, they got worse. Thatâs how this works, always.
Calderonâs drug war troop surge has now elevated the lessons of prohibition within the public consciousness. He has created an interactive national exhibit of the drug warâs horrific futility. And each passing day brings more news of destruction and death, more opportunities for the drug war faithful to finally reject the great hoax that has infected their democracy and now consumes their environment.
The drug war is not going to start working one day, so itâs no surprise that Mexicans are ready to begin discussing alternatives. Their numbers will only continue to grow. And you can bet that this conversation scares the great drug lords far more than Calderonâs corrupted drug war army ever will.
These results reflect widespread frustration with the increased drug trade violence triggered by President Calderonâs efforts at cracking down on traffickers. Police are being killed at alarming rates, with some even fleeing to the U.S. in search of asylum. Civilians are being massacred in shootings by police and grenade attacks by drug traffickers. Bloody botched police raids and gratuitous human rights violations by the Mexican army have terrorized the population. Affluent Mexicans are having microchips implanted in their flesh in case of kidnappings and the traffickers are driving modified James Bond-style getaway vehicles.
These are the inevitable consequences of a brutal civil war that continues to enrich powerful drug lords at the perpetual expense of peace and social order. Anyone living on the front lines of Mexicoâs expansive drug war battlefield can plainly observe the contributions of Calderonâs crackdown towards increasing the bloodshed. Things didnât get better, they got worse. Thatâs how this works, always.
Calderonâs drug war troop surge has now elevated the lessons of prohibition within the public consciousness. He has created an interactive national exhibit of the drug warâs horrific futility. And each passing day brings more news of destruction and death, more opportunities for the drug war faithful to finally reject the great hoax that has infected their democracy and now consumes their environment.
The drug war is not going to start working one day, so itâs no surprise that Mexicans are ready to begin discussing alternatives. Their numbers will only continue to grow. And you can bet that this conversation scares the great drug lords far more than Calderonâs corrupted drug war army ever will.
Rachel Hoffman Fallout: One Officer Fired, Others Reprimanded
At long last, weâre seeing some accountability for the officers who got Rachel Hoffman killed after coercing her into working as an informant in the mindbending botched drug sting disaster of the century:
Anything resembling police accountability in the war on drugs is so rare that we should really take a moment to just reflect on this. Miraculously, weâve reached a point where all you have to do to get the cops in trouble is be a pretty white girl with a loving family and hundreds of friends, get sucked into a steaming cauldron of first-rate drug enforcement incompetence, and perish dramatically on 20/20âs tear-jerker TV special of the season.
Thatâs what it takes, because despite the all-encompassing aversion of police officials towards acknowledging even mild misconduct, itâs still easier than conceding that the entire drug informant system is fundamentally corrupt and perverted to its core. This isnât about Officer Pender, it isnât about Tallahassee, and it isnât going to get any better just because a couple incompetent cops got called out. The Burn Emâ & Bail Drug Informant Circus of Horror is a national tour sponsored by the war on drugs and it wonât go away until every last one of us makes it abundantly clear that we want no part of this. Not with our money, not in our community, and not in our name.
Police Chief Dennis Jones requested that investigator Ryan Pender's employment be terminated.
Jones also wanted this disciplinary action taken: Deputy Chief John Proctor, reprimand; Capt. Chris Connell, two-week suspension without pay; Lt. Taltha White, two week suspension without pay; Sgt. David Odom, two week suspension without pay; Sgt. Rod Looney, two week suspension without pay.
Jones is reassigning White, Odom and Connell within the department.
"We have taken the necessary time to conduct a thorough and honest review and asked others to examine our operations," Jones says in the statement from the city. He said he has contacted Hoffman's family and provided a report.
"While we cannot change the events of May 7, we can make the type of changes within the department to help ensure our future actions are consistent with policy," Jones said.
[City Manager] Thompson also issued a reprimand to Jones to require a stronger level of supervision from top to bottom in the department. [Tampa Bay Online]
Anything resembling police accountability in the war on drugs is so rare that we should really take a moment to just reflect on this. Miraculously, weâve reached a point where all you have to do to get the cops in trouble is be a pretty white girl with a loving family and hundreds of friends, get sucked into a steaming cauldron of first-rate drug enforcement incompetence, and perish dramatically on 20/20âs tear-jerker TV special of the season.
Thatâs what it takes, because despite the all-encompassing aversion of police officials towards acknowledging even mild misconduct, itâs still easier than conceding that the entire drug informant system is fundamentally corrupt and perverted to its core. This isnât about Officer Pender, it isnât about Tallahassee, and it isnât going to get any better just because a couple incompetent cops got called out. The Burn Emâ & Bail Drug Informant Circus of Horror is a national tour sponsored by the war on drugs and it wonât go away until every last one of us makes it abundantly clear that we want no part of this. Not with our money, not in our community, and not in our name.