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 ...
Do you think law enforcement taking some stupid female, that was busted for pot, and using her for drug buys was a safe thing for law enforcement to do?
And if pot possession is so bad, why would the courts and law enforcement bait some ignorant young 23 year old female to lure complete strangers into drug buys.
Ya think they trained and allowed this foolish youngster to be armed before doing their bidding to go in and buy firearms and drugs from strangers?
Somebody needs to have their ass locked in jail over this.
Too bad it will never happen.
Opiates create a physical dependency. Not a good idea. You really don’t hear anything about pot addicts. I’m all for nuking the Helmand province.
Well, we now have at least 2.5 generations of people who realize that the dire warnings about pot are a lie.
Its just a matter of time, the anti pot people will die out, and the people who actually know the truth will change the laws.
So you believe that she was completely innocent and had never used drugs? Those damn cops planted it on her! Right?
“How did you catch them? On the job?”
yes.
Let me get this straight, so in your business, over a period of time, you walked up and found over 50 people smoking pot?
Is that right?
Who actually thinks congress has the authority or intelligence to proscribe how any American should live?
Hopefully someone will kill you before then!
If I had my way anyone using drugs should on the spot execution.
just healthy debate
You’ve got serious issues.
And if pot possession is so bad, why would the courts and law enforcement bait some ignorant young 23 year old female to lure complete strangers into drug buys, instead of sending her to jail?
Ya think they trained and allowed this foolish youngster to be armed before doing their bidding to go in and buy firearms and drugs from strangers?
I agree about the baby boomers being the worst generation in recorded history but your generalizing pot users is plain wrong. I think you need to not hire baby boomers. They seem to be your problem not the spliffers.
“How did you catch them? On the job?”
yes.
Let me get this straight, so in your business, over a period of time, you walked up and found over 50 people smoking pot?
Is that right?
ta hell with the Constitution and Bill of Rights huh.
So, you want my death, because I have an opinion?
Gee, seems like we are fighting in Afghanistan against people like you.
Guess God is to blame, he made marijuana. Lets kill Him!
I think it is a necessary evil to use criminals to catch other criminals.
Ya think they trained and allowed this foolish youngster to be armed before doing their bidding to go in and buy firearms and drugs from strangers?
This "foolish youngster" was 23 years old. At what age should we expect people to avoid criminal behavior?
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Ok. So the gangsters find something else to sell. Then what?
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