Pubdate: Fri, 22 Mar 2002
Source: WorldNetDaily (US Web)
Section: Commentary
Copyright: 2002 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.worldnetdaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/655
Author: Joel Miller

CROOKED DRUG COPS AND CHILD MOLESTERS

Kentucky Blue

Reading about police corruption is standard fare for those following the 
drug war, but every now and then a singular sort of sleaze emerges. Such is 
the latest case out of Kentucky, where a pair of detectives have just been 
slapped with an indictment that reads like a paean to unscrupulous 
behavior, listing hundreds of alleged no-nos.

The 472-count indictment includes allegations of tampering with drug 
evidence, stealing money from informants and even forging judges' 
signatures on warrants. Recalling the recent police-corruption scandals in 
Los Angeles, can anyone say "Rampart 2.0"?

According to a March 15 Associated Press report, the two Jefferson County 
Metro Narcotics detectives, Mark Watson and Christie Richardson, pled 
innocent to the charges and are now out on bond.

Fingered by the indictment are charges of misconduct in 24 of the 
detectives' cases. The allegations include 132 counts of tampering with 
public records and criminal possession of a forged instrument, 70 counts of 
theft by deception and 20 counts of burglary, according to a spokesman for 
the Jefferson County commonwealth's attorney's office.

Depending on the outcome of the case, convictions could be overturned. 
Jefferson County might also want to brace for a barrage of lawsuits.

Busted Over Boys, Boys, Boys

Don't blame it all on Catholic priests. A Las Vegas DEA agent now faces 
charges of soliciting boys for sex, according to the March 14 Las Vegas 
Review-Journal.

Agent Steven Kinney, stationed in Vegas, was busted last week on a total of 
three dozen criminal counts, "nine counts each of felony attempted sexual 
assault, felony attempted statutory sexual seduction, felony solicitation 
of a minor and misdemeanor annoyance of a minor," according to the paper.

Taking a cue from 3rd-grade note passing, Kinney allegedly propositioned 
nine boys, ages 9-14, in department stores by penning sexual propositions 
on paper and throwing the missives to them wrapped around small stones. The 
content of the notes were, however, definitely not 3rd-grade reading material.

"The notes would ask the kids whether they wanted to do various acts and if 
so to meet him in a certain place, such as outside the store," said Lt. 
Jeff Carlson.

While police are looking for other victims, Carlson said that so far there 
is little evidence Kinney was very good at his hobby - none of the agent's 
targets had anything to do with him.

Kinney, says the paper, is one of four officers snagged in the past month. 
Earlier, the hammer fell on police officer Sean Curd when authorities 
supposedly found cocaine, steroids and an animal tranquilizer in his home. 
He faces nine felony counts.

My bud bobby

As Britain works to tone down its marijuana policies, new research shows 
resounding support for the move among its enforcers. Some 50 percent of 
officers surveyed about enforcing marijuana laws admitted smoking it 
themselves, according to the March 16 London Times.

"In the research, 150 frontline patrol officers who would carry out 
stop-and-search operations for drugs were questioned anonymously for the 
Joseph Rowntree Trust. Half admitted using the drug," reports the Times.

Of those who've toked at one time or another, some 85 percent supported 
more leniency in the laws. Seventy-five percent complained that the current 
laws make criminals out of people who are otherwise innocent.

"Many clearly would support the Lambeth experiment in South London where 
users are given a warning and lose their drugs," according to the Times. 
"Some have already been informally using a similar approach."

Take the dope train

More proof that the government has what it takes to take care of drugs: If 
you're a small-to mid-level dope dealer in a boring market and want to 
score some real sales, what do you do? Why, hop aboard public transit, 
naturally.

In the first of a two-part series on "commuter crime," the San Francisco 
Examiner looked at months-worth of police records, finding "Street-level 
pushers in downtown San Francisco are largely from out of town, many 
hailing from Oakland and Richmond." The dealers mainly infiltrate Frisco 
via Bay Area Rapid Transit.

"Dealers," says reporter Michael Stoll, "know that public transportation is 
safer than driving. If they drive, they are likely to get flummoxed when 
they see a police car and make a moving violation, allowing the police to 
stop and search them. In California, they can lose their cars if convicted 
of transporting drugs for sale." On the other hand, if a dealer takes 
advantage of the government's light-rail trains, unless they openly peddle 
drugs while on board, it's fairly hard to nab them. Crackdowns have so far 
proven pointless as dealers just ebb when narcs are present and flow when 
they're gone.

One more reason to sing the praises of public transit?

Why do people sell drugs?

It's a simple question, really, but one with many answers. Conservatives 
often tell us it's because drug dealers want to inflict harm and 
destabilize our society. Others point to the fantastic profits that can be 
made from peddling dope. But sometimes it's all about Main Street USA.

The two most influential cocaine traffickers in the late '70s were Carlos 
Lehder and George Jung. (Johnny Depp played Jung in the 2001 movie "Blow.") 
As Paul Eddy records in his 1988 book, "The Cocaine Wars," in the early 
days the two smuggled most of their blow into the U.S. in suitcases carried 
by "mules." Once, the mule was Lehder's mother. When the woman showed up 
with 8 kilos in her baggage, needing a drink for her nerves, Jung was 
furious and called his often-difficult partner.

"Everybody has to work," Lehder explained, "and she wanted a free trip to 
L.A. to see Disneyland."
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