Pubdate: Mon, 16 Jul 2012
Source: Rockford Register Star (IL)
Copyright: 2012 GateHouse Media, Inc.
Contact: http://www.rrstar.com/contact
Website: http://www.rrstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/370
Author: Brian Bradley

POLICING POT

"Encouraging marijuana use is not something we want to do," Winnebago
County State's Attorney Joe Bruscato said. When you issue a ticket for
holding small amounts of marijuana, rather than making an arrest,
"you're indicating that there is more of a tolerance, less of a deterrent."

You're also indicating this city would rather tie up officers for
multiple hours booking and transporting people for something that most
don't agree with deterring in the first place. Those officers could
actually being doing "real police work" in areas that desperately need
it.

Just look around at hard drug users who frequent city streets that
will do whatever it takes to get high, and it's not marijuana they are
looking for.

"There's always this misconception that the jail is full of people
with (low-level marijuana) charges and if we get them out of the jail,
we'd have our jail (population) problem solved," Sheriff Dick Meyers
said. "That's certainly not the case."

He's right, the jail is filled with poor drug addicts who can't afford
$100 bail for crimes they committed while being high or trying to get
high. The prosecutors office would be able to process cases more
quickly and drop the jail population in the process.

- - Brian Bradley, Rockford
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