Yep, that's pretty much the whole idea.
Posted on 03/10/2003 7:52:58 AM PST by MissTargets
YOUNGSTOWN — Guns and roughly $2 million worth of drugs seized by the Youngstown Police Department aren't evidence anymore — they're toast.
The 7,687 items delivered today to a local steel mill to burn included 595 handguns and 158 rifles, shotguns and other firearms. The firearms had been stored at the department's vice squad in 29 plastic containers and three huge plastic recycling bins.
Boxes of marijuana — 500 pounds, in all — and plastic wrapped packages of cocaine, plus hundreds of manila envelopes stuffed with crack cocaine and pharmaceuticals, such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Percodan and diet pills, also were burned. The burn order came from Judge Jack Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Street value
Lt. William Powell, vice squad commander, said the marijuana had a street value of about $1 million, as did the powdered and crack cocaine. The pharmaceuticals were worth about $10,000.
Painkiller pills have made a resurgence in the past year or so because they're easy to get and resell, Powell said. Often, people who have legitimate prescriptions for OxyContin, for example, will sell the pills, he said.
The sellers collect $40 for each 40 milligram pill and $80 for each 80-milligram pill, he said.
The cache burned represented nearly five years' work, Powell said. The vice squad, which conducts 600 to 700 raids each year, still has about $1 million worth of drugs and guns in its evidence locker storeroom that can't be destroyed until the court cases are finished, he said.
Nearly 80 percent of the drugs and guns destroyed were seized during court-authorized raids and consent searches of people, houses or vehicles, Powell said.
The vice squad often conducts raids with members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI and U.S. Treasury Department Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Traffic stops
Drugs and guns seized during other enforcement, such as traffic stops, also make their way to the vice squad evidence locker.
"We find guns on nearly every search warrant and during car stops," Powell said.
The evidence collected over the past five years likely represents more than 3,000 arrests, Powell said. Drugs, he said, are still the city's biggest crime problem.
"It's not cause and effect, but prison studies show that drugs and alcohol are related to 90 percent of crimes committed," he said.
Patrolman Fred LoSasso, responsible for tracking and tagging each plastic container, bin, box and manila envelope, didn't seem affected by the pungent marijuana smell as he readied the lot for transport.
"No, the smell doesn't get to me," LoSasso said, holding up a large box stuffed with marijuana. "I'm used to it."
Powell pulled some of the pricey handguns from their evidence containers to show that criminals aren't using cheap "Saturday night specials" anymore. He said nearly 90 percent of the handguns seized were 9mm, 40-caliber and 45-caliber and worth $250 to $600 each.
The semiautomatic guns typically hold 10 to 15 rounds in their magazines, Powell said. Some have high-tech lasers — just aim the red dot and fire, he added.
The PC crowd will never get it.
But what the heck, let's throw out this misnomer anyway
but prison studies show that drugs and alcohol are related to 90 percent of crimes committed," he said.
Related as in the person querried said they had used drugs or alcohol at least one time in their life, or perhaps, just the words of those wishing to remove responsibility for their actions from themself by saying "the devil made me do it".
The 7,687 items delivered today to a local steel mill to burn included 595 handguns and 158 rifles, shotguns and other firearms. The firearms had been stored at the department's vice squad in 29 plastic containers and three huge plastic recycling bins.
Why? They could have just sold them to me.
Indeed. And did you notice that they stated the value of the drugs but not the guns? What's up with that?
It is easier to get away with a lie about the value of the drugs. $2000 a pound? Maybe for premo bud. Not for stems and seeds!
When they say "street value", they typically mean "as sold in smaller quantites" as opposed to wholesale values. It appears here, they may have simply determined the value based upon a 1/4 bag selling for $30-$35. $30 x 4 quarter bags = 120/oz. $120 x 16 = $1,920 per lb.
They never use wholesale prices because the ignorant public equates higher dollar values with a more devious person who mus be thrown in prison to protect all of society.
Everybody's happy.
Does this concern anyone else? I can understand, to an extent, the fact that they can confiscate guns with a warrant, but during traffic stops?
Yep, that's pretty much the whole idea.
Why? They could have just sold them to me.
...and the drugs could have been sold the the libertarians. :{
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