Posted on 07/25/2008 8:49:03 PM PDT by bamahead
After being caught twice with a "baggie" of marijuana, 23-year old Rachel Hoffman was reportedly told by police in Tallahassee, Florida that she would go to prison for four years unless she became an undercover informant.
The young woman, a recent graduate of Florida State University, was murdered during a botched sting operation two months ago.
"The idea of waging a war on drugs is to protect people and here it seems like we're putting people in harm's way," said Lance Block, a lawyer hired by Rachel's parents.
The Florida Attorney General's office says it is reviewing the procedures and protocol of the Tallahassee police.
"I'm calling her a criminal," Tallahassee police chief Dennis Jones told 20/20, who maintains that both drug dealers and drug users are considered criminals to his department.
Under Florida law, possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana is a felony.
The Tallahassee police chief says Rachel was suspected of selling drugs and she was rightly treated as a criminal.
"That's my job as a police chief to find these criminals in our community and take them off the street, to make the proper arrests," Jones told 20/20.
Rachel's case also is raising questions about how police recruit and use informants in undercover operations.
"There need to be some safeguards here," said Block, the Hoffman family lawyer.
The young woman received no training before being sent to an undercover meeting to buy a large amount of drugs and a handgun from two suspects.
Police says Rachel was killed by the very handgun she was supposed to buy.
"I don't think she understood the risk or danger that she was in," said Block.
Rachel was in a drug court diversion program when she became an informant.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Also, read the story. She was going to be tried for dealing and had X on her. Get the facts right at least.
What, now we’re against letting adults make their own choices to be informants?!
Send me the proof that she's a drug dealer.
Dealing pot, Ecstasy, running a drug house. Make our country a toilet so the dopers will be happy.
It always amazes me when these Big Government Nanny State types, who would squeel like a stuck pig about other forms of Regulation, happily go along with the Drug War.
Just amazing...
You’ve got that right. Alcohol is the deadliest drug on the face of the earth. I’ve watched it destroy countless lives during my lifetime and funny, I’ve never seen pot destroy anyone.
So...why not make all drugs legal then. If no one would abuse them it’s not a problem right. We could save some tax money and do away with the DEA, right?
She was helping the sick and her drug house was like a hospital or something. Heavy!
These cops must’ve known the ones who killed that 90 year old woman in Georgia with their stupid illegal “no knock” warrant. Too bad one of them only got four years. I bet his life in prison is fruitful.
Yep, they want a small government, except for their sacred cows.
Its such a liberal way of thinking.
They don’t deserve the freedoms we fight to have.
How many people overdosed on pot? Still no answer
WHAT DRUG HOUSE?
Yes, it should have been. Her choice.
Your response makes no sense at all, but I guess that doesn’t bother you.
I find it funny how everyone’s blaming the police.. Nobody wants the killer or the stupid girl to take any responsibility it seems.
All they care about are their damn drugs.
“Friend Carlton Lahmann said Hoffman was a small-time drug dealer...”
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n491/a10.html
You won’t get one BECAUSE IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED.
Yes, the hypocrisy of the anti pot keyboard commandos is rich. They are soooo silent on the subject of alcohol, but want to stop pot.
How about we stop prescribing Oxycontin? It kills lots of people and ruins many lives, at all levels of society.
So of course it is true right just because he said so! Why then, all cops are always truth tellers, aren’t they? They never lie nor break the law, do they? Right..............
“Hoffman was facing charges of possession of ecstasy with intent to sell, possession of controlled substance with intent to sell, maintaining a drug house and possession of drug paraphernalia, he said.”
http://tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080509/NEWS01/805090343/0/COMP
I'm between a rock and a hard place here. Most police officers are not jack booted thugs. They have a shitty job and I know somthing about this. It is the policy makers who are responsible for the problem.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.