Police Double Talk

[Jim Finnel]

When federal agents busted down doors raiding medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles in July, Los Angeles Police Department officers were their comrades in arms.

The department's assistance in the raids infuriated some City Council members, who chastised them Wednesday for cooperating with the Drug
Enforcement Agency and for enforcing federal drug laws that are in conflict with California's medical-marijuana law - and the will of the public. They even threatened to forbid the LAPD from cooperating with the DEA, but that would require the council to actually take an unequivocal stand.

LAPD officials just brushed off the criticism, essentially telling the council to get over it. The department will continue to help the feds bust medical-marijuana dispensaries, they said, even though Chief William Bratton has declared the department supports the state law.

The explanation that officials offered was simple: The LAPD has a policy of enforcing federal laws.

That would make sense if it were a policy that the department actually followed. But the truth is that the LAPD only enforces the federal laws that it feels like enforcing.

Despite pressure from federal authorities and many residents of Los Angeles, the LAPD has refused to enforce immigration laws and officers don't ask about citizenship status except in the rarest instances.

The department has stuck to Special Order 40, which prohibits LAPD officers from asking people about their citizenship status. So much for working with the feds.

Medical-marijuana dispensaries exist legally under state law, but not under federal law. In L.A., city officials are finally trying to craft regulations that will make them less flagrant for feds to bust. But the DEA doesn't care what the city or the state does.

That leaves the LAPD in an awkward situation, but selectively picking which laws it will enforce and which it will ignore does nothing to enhance the department's credibility.



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Source: Los Angeles Daily News
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Copyright: 2007 Los Angeles Newspaper Group
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[medMUser]

Glad the article mentioned the pick & choosing of fed laws to enforce. LAPD=Lost Angeles Police Dupes. Nothing like speaking with a forked tongue.

You'd like to think the cops would go after some real crime. Lazy brutes. When was the last time you heard of the MJ care gives & company shoot at the cops? Easy, safe targets so they can pad their stats.

There is plenty of money to bust pot users & jail the non-violent but not enough to secure the borders. Somthing wrong with that picture!!

We need Ron Paul for prez. He wants to end this junk. If the mainstream media doesn't like Ron Paul, he can't be all bad.

mM

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[Herb Fellow]

Definitely more money for the cops in busting pot users/growers than to enforce immigration laws.

 

[OG Kushsta]

They Are Lazy.. And they are the CORRUPT L.A.P.D.

 

[chronicreform]

States Rights is the important issue:Once upon a time the"Courts" enforced the will of the people.When you circumvent the voters will,it's no longer a democracy.The three branches,leg.Judicial and exec.were designed to counter-balance one branch becomming too strong.

 

[medMUser]

chronic is quit correct. To long the US gov has ignored the Constitution & done whatever they want. The US is supposed to be a Constitutional Republic. But we are being transformed into a fascist state more every day.

The solution? Find candidates running for office that are worthy of your vote. One such for Prez is the last link under my sig. If we the people don't do it we will continue to be raped by bloated, blundering "bubba" government.

mM