I think this is a sample of why we are not winning the war on terror, this was not terrorists, but still it shows the way that America is leaning........
granny
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537474/posts
Drug raid in Aspen stirs pot
Rocky Mountain News ^ | 12/8/05 | Ellen Miller
Posted on 12/09/2005 4:24:09 PM PST by elkfersupper
A dramatic drug bust at two Aspen restaurants busy with the après ski
crowd has created a rift between the two major law enforcement
agencies at one of Colorado's premier ski resort towns. Fifty-three
officers from a number of law enforcement agencies, some with guns
drawn, stormed into two Aspen restaurants during the busy after-ski
time last Friday.
The raids happened shortly after 4 p.m. and netted about 2 ounces of
cocaine, $3,000 in cash, nine arrests for drug involvement and 11 for
immigration law violations.
Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, an opponent of the "war on drugs"
who believes education and treatment are better answers to drug
abuse, didn't know about the raid until after the fact, even though his
jail was packed to overflowing.
"The sheriff should have been informed and the police chief has rightly
apologized,'' Aspen Mayor Helen Klanderud said Wednesday. "It's
extremely important that the agencies cooperate and have a positive
relationship.''
Late Wednesday afternoon, Braudis remained in a closed-door
meeting with Police Chief Loren Ryerson and City Manager Steve
Barwick. None returned phone calls for comment.
The city manager scheduled a special work session Jan. 17 for the City
Council to discuss the raid and the town's police policy regarding
drugs.
"Our paramount concern is the safety and well-being of visitors and
citizens of Aspen," Klanderud said. "Our police are not to do
undercover investigations or use paid informants. We need to get all
the facts of what happened here."
On the other hand, Klanderud said, the city policy requires police to
cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in drug investigations.
Ryerson told the Aspen Daily News that the sheriff's views on drug
enforcement played a factor in Ryerson's decision not to tell the sheriff
about the raids. But he repeated Tuesday that he made a mistake by
not informing Braudis in advance.
The newspaper also quoted Ryerson as saying guns were drawn by
some officers during the raid.
The raid was carried out by officers from the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Colorado
Department of Revenue and police from Aspen and Snowmass Village,
according to law enforcement news releases.
It was DEA agents who did the undercover work, Ryerson told the
Aspen Times.
Braudis has long called for the legalization of drugs, calling the war on
drugs a failure and saying addicts should see doctors, not go to
prison.
Councilman Torre, who goes by only one name, said it was good that
the sheriff and police chief "are trying to mend fences."
"But the city doesn't support undercover work, and our police
department doesn't," Torre said. "It's a matter of community trust and
public safety, and we believe in education and treatment as more
effective with drugs. It's not necessarily done with a bust, but to
intervene."
The controversy is the talk of the town, said Councilwoman Rachael
Richards.
"The city does not turn a blind eye to drug activity," she said. "And we
as a council certainly aren't told of these things in advance. But there
seemed to be a risk factor with these tactics and so many innocent
bystanders."
Aspen, 2nd home to many extremely wealthy entertainers, sports heros and public figures. The shefiff in Aspen is obviously "protecting" his famous neighbors from the possibility of any "problems" that could cause them (and the city) bad publicity.
Snip: In November, the average asking price for a place in the Aspen area, where Kevin Costner, Martina Navratilova and Michael Dell have homes, was nearly $5 million. Topping the price list is a $27 million lot that includes a yet-to-be-built 18,000-square-foot home to be furnished with $1 million worth of antiques imported from Europe. Two homes are listed for $18 million apiece. One is set on 6.75 acres with frontage along the Roaring Fork River. The other has a trout pound and 2 1/2 acres.
Snip: The four-star Hotel Jerome in Aspen began offering a 10-night holiday vacation package that includes unlimited ski passes and private lessons, an on-call masseuses, a chauffeur and a Maybach car that sells for no less than $375,000 that guest gets to keep. The price tag: a mere $1 million.