Pubdate: Sun, 14 Apr 2002
Source: Medford Mail Tribune (OR)
Copyright: 2002 The Mail Tribune
Contact:  http://www.mailtribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/642
Authro: Laird Funk

WARPED POLICE PERSPECTIVE

"Merely by being involved in drug investigations on a regular basis, it is 
in your mind that you may be confronted by a suspect at some point either 
on or off duty." - Capt. Ed Mayer, Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

Finally, an admission that justifies those who share the widespread feeling 
that the primary mental state of the average narc squad member is simple 
paranoia. The scary event of a JACNET officer firing his weapon at three 
unarmed men is just another example of the warped perspective that develops 
among the members of any "special" squad over time. Convinced of both their 
own perfection and everyone else's evil, they feel justified in making up 
the rules as they go because they are "special."

We need to return drug investigations to the general detective pool so that 
this inevitable corruption does not occur.

Laird Funk, Williams
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MAP posted-by: Alex