SWAT/Paramilitarization

A Texas police officer has died after being shot Friday in a pre-dawn SWAT drug raid. The last time that happened, a grand jury refused to indict the shooter.

Maryland decriminalizes and becomes a medical marijuana state, a Tennessee hemp bill awaits the governor's signature, a Kentucky omnibus heroin bill appears dead for the session, a campaign is underway to free a Missouri marijuana lifer, and more.

A Wisconsin man with a history of drug charges was killed when he struggled with police during a "no knock" SWAT raid in February. We just heard about it now.

No legalization for Maryland this year, the ASA national conference is coming soon, Utah (!) passes a package of policing reform bills, welfare drug testing goes down in flames in Indiana, the Swiss ponder cannabis clubs, and more.

An Indianpolis SWAT team drug raid left one man dead and four police officers injured, and the police chief promises more.

Marijuana legalization is unlikely to come to California this year, ditto for Missouri, ditto for medical marijuana in Iowa. Meanwhile, a SWAT reporting bill is moving in Utah, Singapore is censoring a pot reform web site, and more.

A West Virginia man gets a first degree murder charge in his wife's accidental drug death, a Utah "Good Samaritan" overdose bill is moving, some US senators grumble about Zohydro ER, and we have a pair of stories about opiates in India. And more.

A Houston SWAT team's dawn drug raid ends with an armed homeowner shot dead.

The police killers of ex-Marine Jose Guerena during a drug raid gone bad escaped charges, but their employers will pay millions.

Veteran investigative journalist Radley Balko has delivered a masterwork on the rise of American's militarized police. "Rise of the Warrior Cop" is a must-read for those of us wondering how we got in this sorry mess and how we can ever get out.