When I joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1980, I was a strong supporter of the notion that illegal drugs should stay that way and that the enforcement of drug laws should be a top priority. But my views quickly changed once I hit the streets. Assigned to the rugged 77th Street Division in the heart of South Central, I saw firsthand the social problems one could find in any community awash in the trafficking and use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other controlled substances. [continues 555 words]
When I joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1980, I was a strong supporter of the notion that illegal drugs should stay that way and that the enforcement of drug laws should be a top priority. But my views quickly changed once I hit the streets. Assigned to the rugged 77th Street Division in the heart of South-Central, I saw firsthand the social problems one could find in any community awash in the trafficking and use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other controlled substances. [continues 517 words]
Futility: Policing The Streets Led To A Change Of Heart On The Drug Question. WHEN I joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1980, I was a strong supporter of the notion that illegal drugs should stay that way and that the enforcement of drug laws should be a top priority. But my views quickly changed once I hit the streets. Assigned to the rugged 77th Street Division in the heart of South-Central, I saw firsthand the social problems one could find in any community awash in the trafficking and use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other controlled substances. [continues 557 words]
His Time On The Front Line In America's War On Drugs Convinced David Klinger That This Costly, Never-Ending Exercise In Futility Is As Unjust As It Is Impractical. ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- When I joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1980, I was a strong supporter of the notion that illegal drugs should stay that way and that the enforcement of drug laws should be a top priority. But my views quickly changed once I hit the streets. Assigned to the rugged 77th Street Division in the heart of South-Central, I saw firsthand the social problems one could find in any community awash in the trafficking and use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other controlled substances. [continues 554 words]
When I joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1980, I was a strong supporter of the notion that illegal drugs should stay that way and that the enforcement of drug laws should be a top priority. But my views quickly changed once I hit the streets. Assigned to the rugged 77th Street Division in the heart of South-Central, I saw firsthand the social problems one could find in any community awash in the trafficking and use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other controlled substances. [continues 552 words]
When I joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1980, I was a strong supporter of the notion that illegal drugs should stay that way and that the enforcement of drug laws should be a top priority. But my views quickly changed once I hit the streets. During my first months on patrol, after handling hundreds of drug calls and arresting scores of people for possessing various illegal substances, I began to doubt what my peers and I were doing. I saw violent criminals walking the streets because the jail space they rightfully deserved was occupied by nonviolent drug offenders. When we carted off small-time drug dealers to prison, I saw other sellers quickly step in to fill the void. [continues 273 words]
