Police Put Warning Signs in Front of Drug Houses (Um, Isn't That Free Advertising?)
If you thought the cops had run out of dumb drug war ideas, you were so wrong:
Are you serious? It kinda sounds like they're saying it's ok to go in there if you're willing to accept the risk. But here's where it gets really ridiculous:
No, I don't think that's how it works. Criminals don't all automatically know each other. I might be smart enough not to go knocking on doors at designated drug houses, but I'm not addicted to crack. If there's actually someone actively selling drugs inside, you shouldnât be advertising it, and if there isn't, you shouldn't be humiliating the families of drug offenders who've already been arrested or run out of town.
What I really don't get about any of this is why police would even consider putting up signs that make them look like incompetent idiots. Is it supposed to make anyone feel safer that the police know where the problem houses are, but can't seem to do anything about it other than put up temporary signs?
The irony here is that marking locations where drugs are sold and warning people to enter at their own risk isn't actually a bad idea at all. But if it's going to work, you have to begin by regulating these businesses.
BELLEVILLE -- The Belleville Police Department has a new tactic in fighting the drug trade in the city -- signs pointing out to the public houses and apartments where police say drugs are sold.
A sign placed outside an apartment building Wednesday at 322 W. H St. said in bold, red letters: "Warning! Drug House; Enter at your own risk." An arrow on the sign points to the building, and the address is attached to the bottom of the sign. [Belleville News Democrat]
Are you serious? It kinda sounds like they're saying it's ok to go in there if you're willing to accept the risk. But here's where it gets really ridiculous:
The police have only two signs, and when they use them at a location, it'll likely only be for a day, and only during daytime hours.
â¦
When asked whether he thinks the signs will advertise where people can buy drugs, Sax said that those buying the drugs probably already knew to get them there in the first place.
No, I don't think that's how it works. Criminals don't all automatically know each other. I might be smart enough not to go knocking on doors at designated drug houses, but I'm not addicted to crack. If there's actually someone actively selling drugs inside, you shouldnât be advertising it, and if there isn't, you shouldn't be humiliating the families of drug offenders who've already been arrested or run out of town.
What I really don't get about any of this is why police would even consider putting up signs that make them look like incompetent idiots. Is it supposed to make anyone feel safer that the police know where the problem houses are, but can't seem to do anything about it other than put up temporary signs?
The irony here is that marking locations where drugs are sold and warning people to enter at their own risk isn't actually a bad idea at all. But if it's going to work, you have to begin by regulating these businesses.
Feature: Obama Seeks Increase in Drug War Spending in a Drug Budget on Autopilot
President Obama has vowed to slash discretionary federal spending, but it isn't going be done on the back of the drug war. Federal drug control spending is up 3.5% in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Mostly it's the same old, same old drug war, but there are some interesting surprises.
Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
Job Opportunity: Harm Reduction Counselor/Outreach Worker/Driver, FROST'D at Harlem United, New York, NY
The Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Inc. (FROST'D) seeks a full-time Harm Reduction Counselor/Outreach Worker/Driver to work with their Integrated Harm Reduction Program.
Feature: CIA Misled Congress, Dragged Feet on Disciplining Employees in Killings of US Citizens in Peru Drug War Plane Shootdown
Nearly nine years after the fact, the CIA has completed its internal investigation of the shooting down of a civilian aircraft over Peru that left an American missionary and her infant daughter dead. The agency found little wrong with its behavior, but not everyone agrees.
Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy
"Obama's Drug War Budget Destroys the Myth of Change," "Obama, YouTube, and Marijuana Legalization," "Legalize Willie Nelson's Tour Bus," "Obama Avoids Questions About Legalizing Marijuana (Again)."
Students: Intern at StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) and Help Stop the Drug War!
Apply for an internship at DRCNet and you could spend a semester fighting the good fight!
Did You Know? FDA Stats on Deaths Related to Marijuana vs. Other Drugs, on ProCon.org
MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org, part of the ProCon.org family, is an in-depth web site presenting information and views from a variety of perspectives on the medical marijuana issue. The Chronicle is running a series of info items from ProCon.org over the next several weeks, and we encourage you to check it out.
Drug Testing: Missouri Senate Committee Passes Bill to Drug Test Welfare Recipients
A Missouri Senate committee with more moralistic wrath toward the poor than common sense has passed a bill that would require welfare applicants and recipients to be drug tested under "reasonable suspicion" and thrown off the rolls for three years if they test positive -- even though the legislature's own analysts say the bill would cost far more than it would save.