Policing

Policing Subtopics:

Arrests

Eradication

Informants

Interdiction

Lowest Priority Policies

Police Corruption

Police Raids

Profiling

SWAT/Paramilitarization

Task Forces

Undercover Work

Medical Marijuana: Five Arrested, 13 Dispensaries Raided by DEA in San Diego

Just a week after the US House of Representatives voted to continue funding Justice Department raids on medical marijuana patients and providers in states where it is legal, the feds struck again. Five people have been arrested in a series of DEA and local police raids Thursday hitting 13 medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego County. Some people are being charged under state marijuana distribution laws in the cooperative federal-local effort. More arrests are expected, local law enforcement officials said.

Africa: Nigerian Narcs in Losing Battle with Marijuana Farmers

Nigeria's booming marijuana trade is more than the nation's drug enforcement agency can handle, their commander for a region that's a hotspot for the trade told a major newspaper last week.

Europe: Scottish Drug Czar Says Drug War Is Lost, Causes Big To-Do

Despite decades of drug war, Scotland has some of the highest drug use rates in Europe and more than 50,000 heroin addicts. Now Scotland's drug czar has unleashed a week of furious debate -- not the first in recent months -- by declaring that the war on drugs is lost and can never be won.

Canada: In Harm Reduction Bid, Vancouver Police to Stay Away From Overdose Calls

Citing Australian research showing that police presence during overdose calls increases the likelihood of overdose deaths by increasing drug users' fear of arrest, Vancouver police have formalized an already existing informal policy of leaving it to the paramedics.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

A federal prison contraband-for-sex scandal exploded into lethal violence Wednesday. And then there's the run of the mill: A one-time Wisconsin deputy goes down in a major marijuana bust, a former Mississippi deputy goes down for meth, a San Francisco prosecutor goes to prison for taking Ecstasy bribes, and a former Alabama deputy gets ready to go to prison for providing a gun and some crack rocks to an ex-con.

Sensible Colorado: Know Your Rights Training

Can the police search my house? What should I do if pulled over? Are the police allowed to lie? Answer these questions and more at two upcoming, free Know Your Rights trainings. Sensible Colorado is joining forces with national experts from the Midnight Special Law Collective to present an interactive role-playing presentation that teaches citizens how to survive common police encounters.

Policing & Incarceration: What's Broken? How Do We Fix It?

Please join us for this important and timely event featuring two of the nation's most progressive voices on criminal justice -- Silja J. A. Talvi and Norm Stamper. Silja J. A. Talvi is a Senior Editor of In These Times and has written for more than seventy-five publications nationwide. Her most recent book "Women Behind Bars: The Crisis of Women in the U.S. Prison System" takes a critical yet compassionate look at the rising rates of incarcerated women in the U.S. Talvi interviews inmates, correctional officers and administrators; creating a nuanced perspective on this critical issue. Silja is a member of the Real Change Advisory Board.