The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has launched a Know Your Rights campaign in response to a recent U.S. Fifth Circuit decision that it says dramatically weakens the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable search and seizure. Last week in U.S. v. Gould, the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that police no longer need a search or arrest warrant to conduct a brief search of a home or business. Joe Cook, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said the Fifth Circuit went against its own precedent in U.S. v. Wilson (2001) by holding that, if officers are allowed to enter a home for any reason, they may conduct a "protective sweep." A "protective sweep" means officers can look throughout a house in places where a person might be hiding in ambush, Cook said. During that sweep, any evidence of criminal activity in plain sight may be seized and used as a basis for arrest and the filing of criminal charges. [continues 299 words]
Iberia Parish jail inmates with histories of drug problems will be better prepared to avoid relapses when they are released, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. District Judge Gerard Wattigny has received $299,192 to establish a drug court program specially designed for jailed inmates who have six months left on their sentences. The "Re-entry Section," as it is known, is comprised of offenders who have histories of substance abuse and are deemed likely to return to drugs upon their release from prison. "We have our regular outpatient drug court for when they get out of jail, but sometimes they have trouble with the transition," Wattigny said. "We're trying to get them a head-start before they actually get out." [continues 378 words]
VERMILION PARISH -- A Delcambre resident is one of five arrested in the removal of marijuana that was being destroyed in Vermilion Parish. Dustin Fleniken, 17, was charged with possession of marijuana, according to reports from the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigation-West District Narcotics Office. The other four suspects were charged with possession with intent to distribute. The charges are the result of an investigation that reveals the suspects allegedly burglarized a facility in August where the marijuana had been brought for destruction. [continues 215 words]
About 50 suspects wanted on drug charges received an early wake-up call Thursday morning from a multi-parish task force led by the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office. In a coordinated, early-morning sweep, the Iberia and St. Mary sheriff's offices served warrants on more than 50 people for drug-related charges, said Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert. About 60 officers hit the streets at 5 a.m. to serve 105 warrants in Iberia, St. Mary Vermilion, and other parishes, the majority of which were for drug distribution. "We expect about a 50 percent catch rate," Hebert said. "And we also expect to get a better location for some of the people who have moved on us since the warrant was issued." [continues 377 words]
Crime statistics in general are down, but drug arrests are up. Some experts see a direct correlation. In 2001 an estimated 14.8 million Americans - 6.7 percent of the population over 12 - used illegal drugs, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The number has steadily increased since 1992. While arrests for illegal drug use are up, serious violent crimes in the U.S. declined from 1999 to 2000, from 2.5 million to 2.2 million, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. The FBI's Uniform Crime Reports show that homicide rates declined from 570,000 to 550,000 for the same time period. [continues 776 words]
