Posted on 08/03/2017 3:01:12 PM PDT by reaganaut1
A case just decided by the Tenth Circuit shows how utterly absurd the “war on drugs” has become, how petty and power-mad the police can be, and how blindly deferential some of our federal judges are.
The case, Harte v. Johnson County Board of Commissioners, arose out of an idiotic, military-style raid by Kansas police on the home of Robert and Adlynn Harte in 2012. They were not in any way involved with drugs (particularly marijuana), but a few officers came to the conclusion that they might be. Here’s how.
One August day in 2011, Mr. Harte and his two children (ages 9 and 13) went to Green Circle Garden Store in Kansas City. Harte wanted to buy the supplies necessary for a hydroponics experiment for the kids – growing tomatoes in the basement.
Unbeknownst to the Harte family, Green Circle was under surveillance by Sgt. James Wingo of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who had made it his “pet project” to take notes on all of the customers, assuming that some of them could be buying materials necessary to grow marijuana. Wingo often spent three or four hours per day on this crucial use of law enforcement time. In March of the following year, Wingo shared his information on all those shady Kansans who frequented the store with Sgt. Thomas Reddin of the Johnson County (Kansas) Sheriff’s Office (JCSO).
Reddin was glad to get that tip because his office was planning a big publicity stunt for April 20, designed to show the effectiveness of JCSO in fighting the drug war. Specifically, Reddin and his fellow drug warriors would announce the arrest of some local weed growers.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
there is a way to reform this
1) No federal funding for paramilitaries
2) Eliminate Civil Asset Forfiture
3) End the failed war on drugs
I heard about that flashbang incident in Indiana, and that pissed off a lot of people and the no knock warrant stuff as well.
Hear,hear! End the WOD. Now!!
The best argument to end the WoD is the rate of addiction. The rate of drug addition is exactly the same after 40 years of drug wars as in the past when drugs were freely available.
The Drug War has done nothing to reduce addiction; nothing
Drugs are freely available right now! Proof that the law of supply and demand reigns supreme.
It leads to corruption.
>> Why was this a SWAT raid and not just two men in sport jackets knocking at the front door with a warrant?
My guess: This is one of the counties that bought a bunch of cool SWAT gear. They can’t have that stuff just sitting around. It’s begging to be used.
I hope the Hartes sue and win. Lots of lawsuit targets for this travesty.
How did the Missouri Highway Patrol allow Deputy Wingnut to spend half his shift watching a legitimate hydroponics business??
Say what you want about Colorado, and most people do, but we don't have SWAT teams invading family homes looking for weed anymore.
....The cop was an ENTREPRENEUR:
Local PD’s get extra money from the feds if they make big drug busts...
Not to mention the cash and property gained by the department from forfeiture of the accused’s cars, boats, ATV’s, motorcycle, cash, jewelry, other personal property, and real estate as a result of just being arrested.
This is the part where I point out that the military in Afghanistan has stricter RoE than cops here at home.
Reads like something out of the late 1950s. Weird.
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